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After nearly a month of seeing my personal doctor (which I can't stand!) as well as an orthopedic surgeon, it seems my left knee does not suffer from a tear to the meniscus or the MCL from a soccer injury picked up 3 weeks ago.

The doctor originally told me I had sprained my MCL. With unbearable pain I saw him a second time inside a week, at which time I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus and a strain to the MCL. I see the orthopedic yesterday and we view X-rays of my left knee. Without any actual examination of my left knee he tells me I have osteoarthritis in my left knee.

He explains the lubricating substance, hylauronan, which cushioned the knee has been depleted, which is causing a bone on bone type of pain. Of course big pharma comes to the rescue, as he offered me a series of injections (of Supartz) to reintroduce the fliud back into the area.

Any OA sufferers out there? I have this nagging that I can't shake. Given the luck I have had with doctors the past 4 months, I am not trusting them very much. The pain is unbearable at times, night is usually the worst as I just cannot get comfortable to relieve pressure on the knee. Every step I take with the left leg there is a loud pop associated with the knee, stairs are even worse. The knee continues to swell up and only staying off my feet will help decrease it. There are times I can walk okay, but a quick turn of my left leg and the knee seems to buckle. Those are just some of the things I am experiencing.

I was hoping there were others who were diagnosed with OA in the knees, to see if the pain and symptoms I am suffering are common.

I don't know but if I would be in your situation I would try to find another doctor....doesn't sound like you trust either your GP or the specialist. How about having an MRI or Ultrasound done to find out what really happend with your knee?
Injections are not without risk either.
Good luck!!

Yes and old injuries can be a contributing factor. Your knee pain sounds exactly like mine. Sometimes drs. refer to osteoarthritis as "wear and tear." I have had knee injuries and also have osteoarthritis. You can have one or the other or both. I have stairs in my home and sometimes it's murder trying to get up and down them. Just before Christmas my knee went out again. Then it healed and I developed achilles tendonistis. Achilles tendonitis is usually a sports injury, but I think mine is from using the stairs which has the same type of "lift off" movement as some sports. I couldn't use the stairs for about 2 months (thankfully my bedroom is downstairs). I had to use my husband's laptop computer downstairs, but I prefer my computer with the big monitor and it is upstairs, so I am using the stairs again, but it's painful. One thing can lead to another when it comes to your muscular-skeletal system. If your knee goes out it can throw your gait off and that can cause other problems with your legs, ankles and even your back.

Have you listened to Pete Egoscue? He has a great radio show archives. He shares about hips and knees.
http://www.painfreeradio.org/archive.phtml

Aloha, patty

I was diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis of the spine, not the knees, but can give you some resources to investigate immediately--

First of course is proper diet--you're already on McDougall. Use large amounts of turmeric on your food...it's proven to help arthritis. Also, ground flax seed--1 tablespoon per day.

2nd--Richard H. Rossiter's book (with Sue MacDonald):
Overcoming Repetitive Motion Injuries the Rossiter Way.
My husband and I are reading this book but haven't actually begun the stretches yet. The book is valuable for what it tells you about drugs, shots, splints and surgery. Believe me, you're much better off withOUT any of those four options.

And as an aside, this book reminds me of another by Mary Bond titled: The New Rules of Posture--How to sit, stand, and move in the modern world. (Both Rossiter and Bond are "Rolfers" and I plan to investigate Ida Rolf from the 1950's.) You may find this interesting information also.

3rd--get the Pete Egoscue books. Pain Free, the Egoscue Method of Health Through motion, and a new one (just out) that I haven't read yet. Even better, find an Egoscue clinic near you and get a new body. Seriously. Get rid of the pain and prevent it coming back.

Most doctors will tell you that cartilage cannot be regenerated and that OA is a "wear-n-tear" disease due to old age. That is false. I've had OA since my mid-thirties. Check out Dr. McDougall's explaination of the the differences between chronic and acute illness. OA is chronic but it doesn't have to be... the cartilage can't come back if it's continually being worn away due to your body's dysfunction. Also, the site of the pain may not and probably is not the source of the pain. It's probably your hips or shoulders or both.

Jack Nicklaus was told by doctors that he'd never play golf again if he didn't have a fusion, etc. He wrote the forward for the first Egoscue book and gives Egoscue the credit for giving his profession back.

Pete Egoscue was shot up in Vietnam in 69 and engineered his own recovery from pain. He is called an "anatomical physiologist." His clinics are not cheap. Plus you have to decide to be responsible for your own health--this plan takes hard work and time. We are doing 90-120 minutes of e-cises per day and expect to do them about 8 months before seeing major progress!). But you can get his book from the library and do what it tells you for immediately relief, even if you can't find a nearby clinic.

As you've discovered recently, pain exacts a very high cost from one's quality of life. OA keeps one from enjoying life...nothing is more valuable than health. Hope this helps and that you're on the road to recovery soon.

FosterMon4 what a great post. I never knew Pete Egoscue's story. It reminded me of Joe Dispenza's interview on ConsciousTV.com, He shares the importance of changing the mind, the brain changes and the physical body follows, Even though he has recovered he still works with reneventing who he like to be for two hours each morning.
http://conscious.tv/consciousness.html? ... 3156685001
I have listened to Joe Dispenza over the years but like Pete Egoscue I didn't have a clue of ether of their personal challenges. I will check out the other two authors you have suggested.

Aloha, patty

I was diagnosed with arthitis in my right knee after a fall, probably 4 yrs ago, also have bone spurs. Was told I needed a knee replacement. But McDougalling has kept it in check until last Nov. I did something to my right knee. I have no idea, I was just walking thru my kitchen when I could no longer bend my knee without pain. I immediately iced it, but it continued on. I had a lot of pain. Finally sometime in Dec., towards the end, it started to feel better. But then in maybe end of Jan, beg. of Feb, it started whole hog again. I was like you, I really had a hard time sleeping. Because I tend to pull my legs up around myself, if I tried to move, I would have a lot of pain bending the right one, lots of popping, snapping. The pain would run down my leg to my shin. I also had a lot of swelling the knee & it is very sore & very stiff & I would get cramps in my thigh & also my knee. I was miserable. It continued on. I became depressed & very frustrated, as I am unemployed I do not have insurance so could not even go to the dr. To make a long story short, I decided to start an elimination diet to see if it could be related to food. I have never really thought that I had allergies to food. As I have gotten older, I do know that I dont tolerate certain foods like I used to. Like I dont think I have Celiac disease, but I do think I have a sensitivity to gluten. Anything with whole wheat leaves me feeling bloated & not so good. I also have been waking up with very sore hands, although I do not have arthritis in my hands & I keep getting cold sores on my mouth, about every 3 wks. Dont know if that is connected or not. Fruits, well, I dont really like fruit that much so I can't say I think that is an issue. I started last Sat. I checked the elimination diet that Dr. McD. has here & also re-read some of Burgess's stuff from his anti-itis blog. So my diet became brown rice, sweet potatoes, frozen cherries, papaya. I only at e the papaya because I forgot to buy more cherries at the store & I was pretty sure I was fine with that & I had it in the freezer. I wanted to buy a box of puffed rice but they didn't carry it so I bought a box of the gluten free rice chex but I dont really like it that much. Mainly I am eating only cooked foods, as the elimination diet says to do. I can say that Sat. night, I had a better night, no cramping, Sun. night, a bad night. Yesterday I had a lot of pain when I got up. It pretty much stayed that way during the day. A couple of my friends said I looked like I was limping more yesterday. But I was not expecting overnight miracles. So this am, when I got out of bed & my knee felt so much better, I was leary. I thought, well, it will start hurting after I start moving around. But today has been very little popping, just a little when I stand up. Not painful though, so that is an improvement. I just looked a bit ago & the swelling is definitely subsided. When I am at my computer, I can stand up after I sit for a while, without nearly as much pain, stiffness, etc. So what did I take out? The last 10 days or so, I became quite depressed, so my diet was not as good as it could have been or it had been. I told myself why bother, when I was McDougalling when this happened. But most of this time & when it first started hurting, I was McDougalling, MWL. I took out russetts, oatmeal. As I said, fruits I do not eat as much, I used to have oatmeal with the frozen cherries on top almost everyday. I took out my hash browns, as they were made out of russetts. I am having no condiments, no sugar. I also like bananas, but I had read something about them possibly causing pain, so I took them out. I can't really blame the last 10 days, because this was going on before I chose to feel sorry for myself & eat off plan but I am sure it didn't help. I have not eaten any leafy veggies & I want to but I want to wait until tomorrow to see if I am at least the same as I am today. So not a lot of stuff, but we will see. Yesterday getting out of the shower, I could barely raise my right leg up to step out, so much pain in my knee, but today, I tried to lift it & it was much less painful. I think this is the best it has felt since it first happened in Nov.
I am encouraged, but I am trying not to get to overlyexcited, until I have strung more than a couple good days together. I know for a while, it will be hard as I have been moving way different & I am so ready for it to hurt when I just move a little. But I want to start walking again, so as soon as I feel it is definitely improving, that is when I will start walking. Starting slowly at first, building the endurance & strength back in that knee.

Good luck with your knee issues.

stoumi, I hope your knee gets better in a hurry! if you have any olive oil around, gently pat it on your knee and cover with an old towel that's warm. (i use the microwave, but go by 30 sec or the towel can catch fire!) I buy a small bottle of oil and keep it in the fridge for any aches and pains, since I don't use it for cooking anymore.

if necessary, find an orthopedic surgeon you like! I had a left total knee replacement because of old injuries and I am better off for it. but you need a good surgeon you can trust.

everyone else with pain, best wishes for your healing!

Thank you all for the experiences, comments and links. I was somewhat surprised the ortho didn't physically exam the knee, nor did he request an MRI. I figured both were common practice, guess I was wrong.

Before this injury and the previous ACL replacement on my right knee when I would bend over I would hear popping and cracking in the knee. As I read it was somewhat commonplace. The current POP in the left knee is now with every step I take and different from the popping and cracking when I would bend my knees, if to kneel down.

@patty: Pete Egoscue is now on my list of things to listen to. Thanks.

@fostermom4: I will have to see if I can find the Rossiter book. Thank you.

@janluvs2heel: Elimination diet did cross my mind, I have started looking it.

Donna R.: Oil olive? Interesting never knew there were healing properties in it. I do have some Trauma oil, which from the calendula flower, Arnica flower and St. John's Wort. So far that topical compounds hasn't provided any relief.

All in all, the nagging feel is what's getting to me. I know my body and I know when something is wrong, much like my torn ACL being misdiagnosed by my primary care doctor the first go around. The road this time looks all too familiar and the last thing I want to experience another crash down the stairs or to slip and fall and end up severely injured. Thanks for the wishes, we'll see what happens.

Steve, most definitely get a 3rd and even a 4th opinion. I saw about 4 Drs. about my knees. All of them said it was OA, with each of them having different solutions. What most of them said was that I needed knee replacement, but I was too young. I was too far along for injections. When the pain was too much to bear any longer, and it was affecting my life too much, I finally decided to have knee replacement. I did a double knee replacement 6 months ago. Recovery has been tough, but it was the best thing I did. I no longer feel like I'm 80 years old.

Whithin 6 months, I am walking 3 miles at a time and I'm back to the gym 4 days a week.

I'm not suggesting you have surgery, but rather that you continue to see medical attention to find your right answer.

Maybe I am looking for "my answer" and not the "right answer." I am reading what I can on OA and trying to compare them to what symptoms a tear in the meniscus or a ligament feels like. Having first hand knowledge tearing my right ACL back in 2009, I know what I experienced for nearly 3 months after being misdiagnosed as a sprain, finding out the hard way by having the knee give out and falling down half a flight of stairs. So I am a bit suspect this OA diagnosis can be made when I no previously known issue with me left knee leading up the the injury on March 3.

Hey Steve,

I am sorry - it is tough when you know something is wrong, yet you suspect your docs aren't really on the right track with the diagnosis. That has happened to me nultiplie times; I've lost a lot of faith in many docs, especially GPs. (Sorry! I know there are good ones, too!)

I vouch for Pete Egoscue, too, and trying anything that has to do with using proper body mechanics; lots of mystery pains can be caused by improper posture.

Eliminations Diets are helpful for those with food-related inflammation issues, and it can take 3-4 months or more to see results, but worth looking into.

Weight loss helps, as I am sure you know and I know you are on that.

If it is osteoarthritis, it does seem odd that it would just pop up.

I'd keep looking for a more thoroughly investigated diagnosis.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Nicole

Feel better, my friend. Pain is not an easy thing to deal with.

Have you tried any physical therapy? I'm currently in PT for tendonitis.

I've had on-again off-again pain with my left knee for years now. The last time I had mind-numbing excruciating pain from it was late February 2011 when one night getting up from the couch, my left knee went out. Just like that. (3 months previously, I had fallen on our local trail while out walking. It could have been connected.)

I thought my knee slipped out to the side, but what actually happened, it locked in place. My knee was swollen up so big, I could barely get my pants on over it. I could not sleep. I couldn't do anything! It always hurt so bad!!
We do not have medical insurance, but I ended up at urgent care because I could not walk, I was in agony, and so we charged the visit. People kept scaring me saying I probably had a broken bone in there, so my husband finally took me to get help.
When they did the X-ray's, they said they could not find anything! But there I was, in the wheelchair in terrible pain. I was given tylenol/codeine and referred to an orthopedic surgeon that I never saw because with no insurance and no cash, how the heck could I get anything done?? We did get a knee brace at a medical supply store, which helped for awhile..but hurt like heck while wearing it for any length of time. I finally got tired of it and took it off, and the pain actually lessened slightly.

I endured the pain for awhile until I just could not take it anymore. I thought I could live with it, but i was wrong. The pain never subsided to a workable level so I could get anything done. I had been reduced to using a cane and each step was torture. The worst, was trying to do simple things like sleep, or use the bathroom. Showering was torture. And not being able to sit at all!!! that was bad. I learned new tricks.
Second worst was trying to grocery shop. The only thing that really helped me was holding onto the cart.
Otherwise, I might fall. Even with the cane, my knee would buckle at times, and that was scary. I sure did not need to fall again!!

Last September, we found ourselves at "The Good Feet" store. With my left knee still messed up, and now my right foot swollen and it hurt to walk on it, I was just a total mess. We got orthotics for my feet, which was supposed to help my right foot. Well, it helped that somewhat, but what it really helped the most was my left knee! I could walk again, without pain. Sure, I still have my knee problems, may for awhile, or even forever, but I can now walk the trails again, be able to walk up and down stairs, although it is still somewhat difficult at times. I just make sure I always grip the hand rail and go slowly. I got my mobility back. The orthotics were the best $350 we ever spent. Well worth it!!!!!

I now work out daily, plus using the exercise bike to help the muscles around my knee get back to normal. I will always have to be careful until I can get the knee replacement done, but for now, I am just really happy that I can move again, without any pain. Just once in awhile, my knee buckles, but so far I have not fallen from it yet. Consider orthotics...they help stabilize the foot and leg, keeping you in the proper alignment.

Amy interesting story as I can relate to just about everything you mentioned. The knee does lock or buckle and much like 2009 I have already taken a tumble down the stairs, which caused my doctor to refer me to the orthopedic.

I have a set of orthotics I wear regularly now after having a bone spur on my left heel. These were designed to support the arch and so far they have worked very well, no longer are the tendons inflamed and the heel sore. I have looked at some braces for the knee. I have one which I bought when I had my ACL surgery, but honestly it's a bit cumbersome but did give me some reassurance when walking.

@Rachelle: Physical therapy begins next Tuesday, we will see how they approach the pain and the problem. So far I have seen good results from PT the previous two times I have visited.