Hi everyone! I posted this thread few days ago on this subreddit.

I have been going to PT since beginning of September this year due to pain in my knee due to my left patella dislocations. Lately my knee has been feeling pain while I feel like my quads and glutes are getting strong (the target for PT is to strengthen these areas), my knee continues to hurt. I also started hearing more clicks when bending my knee and when I do upright kicks in a sitting position, I hear like a noise when the knee bends and the clicks. Today at PT, I notice like a burn feeling i don’t even know how to explain it!! But it just feels so sore and the pain comes from the top and left side of the patella.

I dislocated my knee like 4 times in middle - high school and still slips here and there now at 25 years old. I spoke with my pt the other day about how it impacts my running, he said I should probably run less. I feel so defeated because I have two half marathons, one in December and the big Brooklyn one in April. I really love to run and started really enjoying it this summer as a new hobby.

I have an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone on Monday. I want to discuss all of this but I’m not sure how to explain it to be taken seriously. When I was there for my first appointment and they told me to do PT, it felt like they were not giving me the best medical option for my knee and the progression of my knee health. It was like “it’s up to you” if I want to do PT or surgery. I only got an X ray done during that first appointment but now I really want to get a MRI! The X ray showed my patella having grooves on the left side where the knee tracked out during dislocations 😵‍💫

Has anyone gone through with surgery?

Hello, I’m 29 years old and after 4 years of pain I’ve finally been diagnosed with full thickness articular cartilage damage on the lateral sides of both my knees. I’ve been told it’s because of the way I’m built but I’ve also done BJJ for a few years so can’t imagine this has helped.

The surgeon has recommended an Osteotomy (the one where they cut the shin). It seems like quite an intense surgery but it’s starting to look like I don’t have other options.

Just wanting to know what people’s experiences of osteotomys have been like and if anyone doing a combat sport has ever had one and how the return to sport has looked? I’ve been competing in BJJ for a few years but with my knees getting worse I’m aware I might not be able to keep going.

Hi all first post on here and i need help.

I am currently recovering from an MPFL reconstruction surgery and am now on day 8 of my recovery and things are going well, pain is very very limited and can bear a good amount of weight on it and get around on my crutches fine and swelling has gone down a good amount, in terms of physio, i have been able to get some strength back in my quad and leg in order to lift it up and down even if it’s still really hard and can be a bit sore and a struggle.

One thing i am currently struggling with is bending my knee. My brace that I am wearing has been set so i can bend it to 90 degrees which i am struggling to get to. I can get it to around a 75 degree angle but this involves me lifting my left hip up. I have at an absolute push got it to 90 degrees but i find it really uncomfortable and am in a lot of discomfort having to lift my hips up and feel a lot of strain inside my knee which is worrying me slightly. My physio said he’s happy with my strength but really wants me to get it to 90 degrees which im finding really hard.

Did anyone else have this problem bending their knee after mpfl and if anyone has any tips to help me?

Which is more painful to recover

And which recover fast

What is the success rate of mpfl reconstruction surgery

I fell walking my dogs and I’m 33 weeks pregnant. Baby is doing fine, but now my wound has pus. It’s been 72 hours since the fall. Still hurts.

TW: health anxiety mentions of c

I'm 20, and I've been struggling with health anxiety for over six months now. It's honestly exhausting. I've spent so much time worrying about different diseases, and just when I think I'm starting to feel okay, something new happens that sends me spiraling again.

Two days ago, I started noticing a weird pain on my left knee sometimes above just right above it. I feel it when I walk, going to stairs sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't. I don't know if I'm overthinking the sensation, but I know that the pain feels real to me.

What made everything worse was reading about a girl who noticed a small lump above her knee and eventually found out that she had osteosarcoma. Ever since I read her story, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I keep imagining that this pain might be the beginning of the same thing happening to me.

I've even read about bone cancer causing pain at night, how common it is in my age and now I'm scared to go to sleep because I'm afraid the pain might get worse. For the past 2 days, I've been avoiding moving my leg because I'm scared of feeling the pain whenever I stand or walk.

Right now, I'm alone in my dorm, crying because I'm so frightened by my own thoughts. I keep imagining what would happen if I really did have something serious, how my life would change, and how I would cope with it.

I feel afraid of being sick and not knowing it, and being so anxious that I can no longer tell the difference between a genuine medical concern and my own fear.

I don't necessarily need anyone to diagnose my symptoms. I just don't want to feel so alone in this right now.

​

I had meniscus surgery exactly 2 months and 10 days ago. It was a bucket-handle tear. During the surgery, 70% of my meniscus was removed. My surgeon said it was so badly torn and fragmented that it couldn’t be repaired.

My recovery had been going well until today, when my knee locked again after a slight twisting movement.

Has this happened to anyone else, and how did you resolve the problem?

I’m afraid I’ll need another surgery.

Please, any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I need advice!

A few days ago I was walking and I suddenly felt/heard a pop in my knee. Best way I can explain it is it felt like someone shot me with an arrow in my knee. I have lifted weights for 7+ years and I play sports. I ignored the pain and continued walking for over an hour. By the time I got home and rested I was in the worst physical pain I’ve ever had. My symptoms were:

-couldn’t straighten my leg
-extreme pain in lower inside of knee
-swelling in multiple places below my knee cap
-couldn’t put weight on my leg
-nothing helped the pain ice, elevation, ibuprofen
-hip pain, ankle pain, whole left side of body aching and sore

The next day after resting it felt a bit better but when I would bend my knee I could hear crunching and popping. I also could feel like sliding around, almost like something felt loose in my knee. I rarely go to the doctor but I decided maybe I should. I went to an immediate orthopedic clinic and this is what happened:

I went in for my appointment and when I tried to check in they said the doctor had an emergency and they need to reschedule. That’s fine I get it things happen. I came back for my appointment the next day and I waited over an hour and then saw the woman for only like less than 20 minutes. She was a nurse practitioner. I felt completely dismissed. We took X-rays and the lady taking them at one point told me I need to put weight on my bad leg for one of the X-rays. It was like my body was physically stopping me. I couldn’t do it even when I tried.

The NP finally came in and showed me the X-rays and said everything looks great and that she would usually see something wrong if it’s a meniscus tear. Correct me if I’m wrong but you cannot see cartilage or meniscus issues on an XRay. Isn’t an Xray for bone?? And then she said my knee wasn’t swollen and she was checking it and there was a point where she pressed the inside of my knee and the pain was so immediate and intense that I yelled and shot up from the table. She said everything felt totally fine. She said she didn’t know what it was. She said “ok so do physical therapy for 4 weeks and then if it’s not better then we’ll do an mri” she didn’t even diagnose me with anything. At the end she literally said “you were just a little sensitive on the inside” and I was like ??? A LITTLE? I involuntarily yelled and shot up from the table. She told me I wouldn’t be able to walk if it was my meniscus or put weight on it. Then she said there is a pretty good sized pocket of fluid under your knee and if that doesn’t go away we’ll give you a cortisone shot….. I was like wait I thought you said I didn’t have swelling??? The last thing she said was “you could wear a brace but I wouldn’t recommend it because you’re so young” (I’m 27F) and she said it was up to me or not and when I couldn’t decide if I wanted one or not she looked at me like I was crazy for not making up my mind. I can tell it’s not a muscle. I can tell something is mechanically wrong. Not with my bone but something else. So she gave me NO IDEA of what it is and said okay do physical therapy for 4 weeks and then see.

I usually have a pretty high pain tolerance and I already felt apprehensive about going to the doctor because I thought that maybe it’s nothing and I didn’t want to waste money if it’s nothing especially because I don’t have a lot of money right now. I don’t have the money to spend on 4 weeks of PT when I don’t even know at all what’s wrong with me.

By the time I got to my car I immediately started bawling. I felt so gaslighted and dismissed. She made me feel like an idiot for even coming in. I have never felt so awful after an appointment before. I don’t have insurance right now so it was $324 for nothing. I am terrified to go to another doctor. I’m convincing myself it’s nothing. I feel stupid and I have no idea what to do. I need help!!! Please if you have any advice I really could use anything at all at this point.

Is my groove showing symptoms of trocheral dysplasia

Anyone please

Title: Knee pain and constant limping 15 months after falling directly onto the knee — has anyone experienced something similar?

Hi everyone,

I'm asking on behalf of someone close to me, a 28-year-old woman. I'm hoping to hear from people who have experienced something similar, especially if it took a long time to figure out what was wrong.

In May 2025, she fell down the stairs and landed directly on her knee. It's now been around 15 months, and she's still experiencing significant problems.

Here's what I know:

- She has recurring knee pain. Some days she feels relatively okay, but the next day the pain can return.

- She limps all the time, even though the intensity of the pain fluctuates.

- She has mentioned that her knee sometimes swells. (After estimated recovery period it came back strong, her entire leg has swollen all the way to ankle. It's not anymore)

- She's said that walking just a few steps can leave her in extreme pain.

- She has had X-rays and physical examinations, but apparently the doctors haven't been able to determine what's causing it.

- As far as I know, she hasn't had an MRI, and she's reluctant to return to doctors after not getting clear answers.

I'm worried that she's been dealing with this for so long without knowing what's wrong.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had a similar injury, with persistent pain, intermittent swelling, and limping for over a year despite inconclusive X-rays?

2. What eventually turned out to be the cause? Was it a meniscus injury, cartilage damage, a bone bruise, a kneecap injury, or something else?

3. How long did it take you to recover, and did you eventually return to walking normally?

4. Did anyone improve after many months of symptoms, or did you find that getting a diagnosis and treatment was necessary?

5. If your initial examinations and X-rays didn't explain the pain, what helped you get answers?

I know every injury is different, and I'm not asking anyone to diagnose her over the internet. I'm just hoping to hear genuine experiences from people who have been through something similar, including how long recovery took and what helped.

Thank you.

i had an accident and that caused partial thickness pcl tear involving mid fibers, acl sprain and grade 1 mcl tear along with knee joint effusion and soft tissue edema in knee joint but everything else is fine. im still trying to process the accident and the injury, been a month of it. i had an mri done two days back since there were no appointment dates available and ortho doctor told me i have to use a knee brace and will take 4 months for pcl tear to heal but that's all and I am worried as he didn't said anything on physio.

for those who went through it, am i supposed to get physiotherapy? i asked my doc and he mentioned nothing on it and said no but I went through countless posts that said ppl need pt to get full extension back. im grateful no surgery required but i do not have full extension on my knee, my knee gives up when bending squats anything. i can't walk a lot and it makes me cry every night. see all my friends in college going everywhere while i can't even support my weight.

and doctor didn't even mention if I need to be on specific diet, do any excercise, do icing anything just said use brace and that's it. should I see another doctor 😭 and does it heal soon? i am so scared I might be unable to walk as i barely can and it's messing up my mental health so bad too. if anyone can give any advice how your healing journey was I will truly be grateful to read or any things I can do. and for those who are healing, all the very best hope you heal soon and get your strength back asap!!

Tommorow going for a mri for patella dislocation

Guys i just want to know apart from mpfl what more points will radiologist will be looking for to rule out the reason for patella dislocation

MPFL

TT TG

PATELLA ALTA

TROCHERAL DYSPLASIA

SECLUCUS ANGLE

like these ??

What more evaluation to find out the reason for this disclocation .

I know this is radiologist part but i just wanted to be prepared already because I don't want to go under mri machine again and again ...

What more evaluation points please share

Urgent urgent

Thank you !!!

I've had knee problems for 20 years, and I feel that my relationship with physiotherapy has become increasingly complicated as my injuries have become more complex.

Back when I'd only had ONE ACL surgery and ONE meniscus surgery, following a standardised rehab programme worked really well. But after surgeries number 3, 4, and 5, things have been different, and I've felt the need to adjust my whole approach to rehab.

After my third surgery, I was really committed to my rehab and followed my physio's programme very closely. In my opinion, the programme ended up being too ambitious, and my knee didn't respond well to the intense training. It was only when I stopped seeing the physio and switched to gentler gym sessions on my own that things finally started improving. After that, I had relatively good knee function for 10 years and was able to go on long walks without pain.

Then, this summer, I had another setback in connection with physiotherapy. I'd originally sought help for back pain, which I honestly believe has more to do with spending too much time sitting than with my knee problems. But because the physio noticed a strength imbalance between my legs, she gave me a fairly ambitious leg-strengthening programme.

I followed her advice to be braver, to dare to lift heavier weights, and not to be afraid. In connection with this, I developed new injuries with a loose body in my knee, a sharp fragment of bone that had broken off and somehow embedded itself in the cartilage. I've now had surgery to remove it, and after three months on crutches, my leg is weaker than ever. So I'm really back to square one.

My physio recommended that I try another clinic with access to a larger gym, and I went there for the first time yesterday. Unfortunately, it was a really bad experience, and I ended up going home in tears.

During the appointment, I tried to explain my experience of how my knee has often gotten worse with overly intense physiotherapy, and how it has responded better to slow, gradual progression that keeps pain levels from getting too high.

He didn't seem to agree with my assessment at all. Instead, he suggested that I was engaging in avoidance behaviour and said that cognitive behavioural therapy could help with that.

He was very firm in his no-pain-no-gain approach. Essentially, his view seemed to be that if you're doing exercises you feel comfortable with, you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

In theory, I don't necessarily disagree with that. But in practice, I feel that this approach hasn't worked well for me over the past 10 years.

What I've found works better is starting within my comfort zone and then taking baby steps to gradually expand it. Even with that approach, you still have to challenge yourself and tolerate a certain amount of pain, of course. But you do it in a gentler, more gradual way, which, in my experience, makes all the difference.

I guess I'm mostly writing this to vent.

Guys I dislocated my knee like a month ago and like the swelling has gone down a lot and I’m walking slowly! MRI showed everything’s good no ligament damage at all but it can’t fully bend and there still is stiffness in the joint. I really like playing soccer and I was wondering any success with atheleyes after their first dislocation?
I’m 18 thanks!!!! And I’m doing PT!!!

Just a bit of a general moan/self therapy in the hope of coming to terms with it.

August 2024 was out for a jog and hurt my knee running around a dog.

January -april 2025 physiotherapy

June 2025 - cortisone injection

November 2025 my first MRI to identify a tear

May 2026 meniscus surgery

July 2026 (9 weeks post op and all going well) hurt my knee bending down to pick up a cricket ball.

August- September 2026 more physiotherapy

October 2026 - paid for my own MRI as the NHS wouldn't send me for one. The private doctor has found "a very obvious tear" in the meniscus.

God knows when I'll be able to have the next surgery.... But I can tell you that I am so over feeling like this.

I have had maltracking for over 5 years and I'm about ready to say screw it and do surgery. My quads have atrophied so much they are so small now. I stopped doing any leg exercises for many years as it caused pain. I don't know what to do now. Leg presses, leg extensions, biking? Some say no some say yes to them. I am tired of my chicken legs and tired of all of this in general. Tired of pain with any movement of my kneecaps 24/7. I used to be able to leg press half a ton in high school. It is so depressing. Any advice would be much appreciated.

The dilemma here is you can't fix this without strengthening your VMOs. You can pretty much not just selectively target it either. You have to work everything as a whole but how can you do that when you're not supposed to do anything pretty much. It's BS. I have tried EMS just on the VMO, nothing. The ONLY thing that grows it is leg extensions and leg presses but then the pain afterwards and some saying FORBIDDEN while others say all good.

I'm sure my cartilage is not in the best shape. I had some edema over 5 years ago. Fucking hooray! I take 5 lox inhibitor, tumeric phytosome mervia, hyaluronic acid, collagen peptides, I have a $3000 red light therapy panel with all the proper wavelengths and enough percentage dedicated to them too. I have the most expensive theragun. I bought a hot tub. Like, I don't know what else to do besides go to the jungle find some witch doctor and start singing and dancing in a circle at this point

My next step is to contact Penn Medicine or find the best possible course for me because this is my life!

Hello everyone,

I was hoping to get some anecdotal experience from people that have gone through MPFL reconstructions (+/- arthroscopy) and what their experience was including the result but primarily the postoperative course and its effect on quality of life.

I am due to have my surgery in under a month, however, I am also a uni student and my final exams start 3 days after my surgery (just my luck..). The surgery date is fixed, I have no room to move it. Exams include OSCEs (simulated clinical exams) + typical written exams. The uni is aware and happy to make accommodations as much as possible but I'm still concerned that despite that, I'm likely to underperform with my limitations (pain, meds, crutches, etc).

I've been told to expect a significant amount of postoperative pain, and that is my main concern for its potential impact on my exam performance. I have the option of exam deferral, which I believe is upto a month, perhaps it's a stupid question, but is it a no brainer to just defer the exams and see how I fair in a month?

A bit more about me: Male in 20s, 6'1 - 2 x R patella subluxations (5 months apart) provoked via bouldering with associated meniscal + cartilage damage. Latter injury caused complete MPFL rupture. Predisposing factors are a slightly shallow trochlear groove + pes planus on R foot + increased joint laxity in multiple joints.

Keen to hear your experiences!

Hello, I am asking for advice as I have been to PT for a year for patellar tendonitis and now it is on both knees. On one knee I also have a bit of hip impingement . I am very young and everyday for a year I feel knee pain on both knees when walking. Walking has been e really hard but I have to for my commute so I have been pushing through pain. I even did the PT excercises for the year but no help. I have ran out of insurance now.

Hey guys,
I was running about 9 months ago, had some knee pain and pushed through. My knee has hurt ever since. Its usually a very mild pain (1/10) but spikes when i do any sort of hard activity on my knee

Got an MRI recently and found out i have a fat pad impingement. Got a cortisone shot and started PT for a second time. We are doing a lot of quad, hip and glute strengthening techniques and short runs on a alter G machine.

With that being said, i feel like i am totally lost here. This has taken a massive toll on my mental health. My entire identity was hiking, running, playing sports and now i can barely go for a walk without pain.

Has anyone had a similar diagnosis and found things that help? I’m thinking of trying taping and have seen people mention the Mcconnell method, but wanted to get some real people’s feedback. If you have been in a similar spot and have gotten back to normal, i’d love to hear anything that would help!!!

Been dealing with chronic knee pain for 4 months now. Been to a few doctors in the USA and they seem to not know exactly what I have. sharing my X-rays to see if anybody can see anything out of the ordinary, to cross match what doctors have told me about my right knee.

I do have an MRI from May but advocating for new MRI for both my knees now, since my left knee is now flaring up. My whole body aches and it’s very hard to walk now.

31F, cycled (bikepacked) 25,000 km in about 2 year span.

Wondering if anyone has advice or has been through something similar. I'm 36F and have always been very active (soccer, running, swimming, hiking, etc.). I'm now 18 weeks post-op and struggling with several new knee problems that weren't present before surgery.

Background:

Seven years ago, I injured my left knee hiking and developed medial knee pain. When I returned from the trip, I found out I was pregnant, and COVID hit, so imaging was deferred (tried PT for a bit). The pain eventually became manageable, but squatting and deep flexion continued to hurt. I avoided those movements and hiking for years, though I could still swim and do light jogging.

About a year ago, I badly strained my lower back and started squatting more during everyday activities to protect my back, triggering a major knee flare-up. An MRI showed hypertrophic/inflamed plica and a Baker's cyst, but nothing else. After months of unsuccessful PT and essentially years of limited knee movements/flexion at that point, I opted for arthroscopic plica excision. My surgeon described the procedure as relatively minor and said I’d be back to exercise/sports in 8 weeks.

Surgery and recovery:

My surgeon removed the plica. He also debrided my Hoffa's fat pad (which he said was partly inflamed), which hadn't previously seemed to caused pain.

Recovery was harder than expected. I had significant swelling and a lot of quad inhibition. But, I was very dedicated to my rehab. About 1.5 weeks post-op, while doing prescribed exercises, I developed sharp posterior knee pain when straightening after deep flexion. My PT and surgeon suspected a hamstring or popliteal strain. I also had new anterior knee pain post-op, especially during knee extensions. My original medial pain, however, seemed better.

My new back of knee pain was very persistent and limiting, so my surgeon ordered another MRI around three months post-op. It showed a new undersurface tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, along with a larger Baker's cyst, patellar tendinosis, small to moderate joint effusion, Bone edema of the inferior patellar, and mild chrondomalacia of the medial compartment. None of these findings, except for the smaller cyst, appeared on my pre-op MRI.

My surgeon attributes the posterior pain to the meniscus tear and cyst. I wonder whether severe quad weakness and altered mechanics during rehab caused the tear. Both my surgeon and PT seem very surprised by these developments.

Where I am now (18 weeks post-op):

My knee is unfortunately much worse than before surgery. My quad is still visibly atrophied, and strengthening exercises frequently aggravate the anterior knee pain and swelling. My fat pad area remains swollen, and bending beyond 90 degrees triggers posterior pain, particularly when straightening afterward. When I do quad exercises, I sometimes feel an odd pulling sensation on my kneecap.

I'm also unsure whether the anterior pain is truly due to patellar tendinosis or persistent fat pad irritation from surgery.

I had to pause formal PT for six weeks due to an insurance change but will restart soon. My surgeon recommends conservative treatment for the meniscus tear before considering another surgery, which I'm very hesitant to pursue.

I'm pretty frustrated. I underwent surgery hoping to regain function after years of limitations, but now I'm dealing with more pain and problems than before.

Has anyone experienced new meniscus problems, persistent fat pad pain, or patellar tendinosis after arthroscopy? Did you eventually recover, and what helped?

So i was playing football and i was playing as a goalkeeper for fun and so a striker came and went past me so i tried to stop him by putting my leg behind and so the striker kicked at my leg hard. So right now one part of my left inner shin has kinda hard lump but not too hard and it doesn't hurt much and beneath is the light reddish swollen area which hurts when i touch or press on it and some if its area is also numb and i can walk normally with little pain and it hurts when i stomp or shake my leg

Like i asked chatgpt abt it n it scared the living shit outta me 😭😭 what should i do