I have had KNEES for several years now, meaning that I didn’t used to be aware that they were there and then suddenly I was. Stairs were no longer my friend and as for getting down on my knees (yoga, pilates) forget about it. Those days were gone. But this is the first time I have been hit with such a sudden blast of severe stabby pain through my knee (left one) that my leg almost buckled under me and even taking small careful steps afterwards was excruciating. It kind of wore off after a bit, or at least the pain became bearable, but omg what a shock. I almost went to Emergency to get it looked at but then decided to wait it out a bit to see if it improved on its own. For now I’m using a stretchy cloth bandage wrapped around the area but also have one of those “knee sleeves” winging its way to me.
I wondered if this had anything to do with the Chair Yoga/Pilates I’ve been doing, but that stuff is supposed to alleviate or prevent knee pain. In any case, I couldn’t lift my leg in a sitting position now for all the iPhones in China, so any lower body exercise is off for the moment. Gaaah, it’s always something.
casa azahar 
I have had similar symptoms and problems for a good few years now….in my case it’s a combination of psoriatic arthritis in my synovial sac around the knee joint and, now, no cartilage cushioning the joint. When it first started cortisone injections help the cartilage problem and reduced pain but, for me the next step is a knee replacement…probably next Spring. If you have health insurance go now before it becomes a problem that you have had treatment for (as then you won’t be covered). The cortisone injections help and are OK really. Walk when you can, as muchas you can but not on uneven surfaces. I didn’t find strapping, supplements, or creams helpful….it’s wear and tear.
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Yeah, the obvious next step is to get an appointment with a specialist to determine the actual cause and then possible treatments. But I’ll try out the sleeve in the meantime and hope that helps.
I’m on social security health care so I am covered no matter what, they don’t disqualify people for pre-existing conditions.
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Anne is suggesting health insurance from the point of view that the State System will treat you according to the resources/demand that it is experiencing.
That is, they will treat you when they want not when you want.
Treat it before it gets too bad.
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I have been culpably AWOL on this post. Too much adulting this week. But you know me, I will always say DIG FOR THE TRIGGERS before you go running and crying “oh doctor, oh doctor.” If you are lucky you will get a doc who understands structural pain and doesn’t treat it all with the same knee jerk (you should pardon me) menu of modalities, whether they are appropriate or not. But meanwhile try what I’d do.
See, this HAPPENED to me — me! this is my wheelhouse and what I fix on other people! — earlier this year, because I was intellectually aware I’d overused my right leg for a long time since the left was the first to go south when my hips had to be done, and some old damage grumbled from time to time. I had just been lazy about taking time to deal with it. A block from my house, what you describe hit me and I had to gimp home sideways. It was a rare occasion when I had to cancel a client.
Here is what I did: I hunted for the triggers that I knew were there first. If your knee feels like it is going to buckle, I always look on the inside of the lower thigh just above the knee, the “medial quad.” Work up and down and prod deeply. You’re almost sure to find something an inch or so above the joint where the quad meets the adductor muscle that closes your legs together. Slow deep strokes on that; it’ll make your eyes water.
Then see if you can recruit Peter. Lie flat with a small rolled towel under your knee and have him lean on the muscle with his forearm crossways to your leg, in successive stages from the knee up to the mid thigh. (If you dont have a person you can sit with your leg stretched out and lean on it yourself but it’s always better if you can relax entirely while the work is happening.) It will hurt but if your issue is in the muscles — the Pilates may have woken up some old triggers — there will be relief after.
Check the outer quad at the same level as the inner. Almost everyone has a tight spot here. Really dig with more slow short strokes over any hot spot you find.
Finally probe around BELOW the knee where the small knob of the fibula meets the tibia. Often that small joint gets jammed and won’t glide as you walk and the pain goes right to the knee. If it’s sore, rub deeply around it and press the knob of the fibular head towards your rear with a thumb as you work your foot around (point and flex, ankle circles).
If any of this makes it feel better, your problem is at least partly in the soft tissue and maybe entirely, and if it does seem to warrant an MD visit, at least you feel better in the meantime and maybe can return to the chair exercise. Just always hit the points that helped some time during the day after exercising.
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Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU. I am going to look into it after tomorrow because it’s been a crazy week. I haven’t had time to spend time on anything other than work stuff, social media, my new Academy and another new project (news coming soon). Meanwhile, shuffling around. Seems to have settled down since the first acute attack, and the pain is travelling around. Sometimes it feels in the front of the knee, other times behind the knee. But I will have time to look into it over the weekend. Have also taken out THE BOOK, but again, no time. I have a doctor’s appt next Wednesday (general check up) so I hope I can provide her with more info so I don’t get the usual “you need to lose weight, take some ibuprofen” crap. Thanks again xx
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