Weak knees and wobbly balance

[snowflake]

August 2009 (skiing accident) - on my left knee I tore medial ligament with cominuted fracture behind knee. On right knee high grade tear to Medial ligament, part tear to ACL and PCL with avulsion fracture on outer side of knee. No surgery - extreme swelling. Also whiplash to neck (previously injured a number of times!)

Left knee was very badly injured about 35+ years ago (skiing) and it healed beautifully (no surgery) and I regained 100% use and eventually no pain (took about 5 years to get to that stage). Had forgotten I ever hurt it!

My knees continue to improve very slowly (aged 68) and I expect it to take maybe another 6 months to be able to feel confident without walking sticks, mainly because of being held back by continual dizzyness which became very noticeable after I started standing upright and "walking".

Could dizzyness be attributable to my knees? When dizzyness hits I usually have ear pain (acute/occasional) with pressure in the head and sore throat, (eyes feel disconnected!) but ENT says nothing wrong and checked for BPV.

Antibiotics didn't help. CT scans, X-rays of head and neck all clear. Osteopath helped (head and neck massage) and I can now walk a little without sticks in a safe environment, but I still have some dizzyness. Osteo feels 'receptors' in knees are possibly part of the problem?

Any suggestions on how I can find (and treat) the cause/s of the dizzyness which makes me feel so insecure and wobbly?

I desperately want to walk again without walking sticks! I used to be so active and independent!

Also how do I know if my knees are 'unstable' - what does 'unstable' really mean? Would prolotherapy help if they are? My Specialist says that surgery could cause more complications and I don't really like that option anyway.

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[AndySchmidt]

There are many many causes of dizziness unfortunately, as it can sometimes be hard to find the exact cause....but I can assure you that the receptors in your knees are not one of them! There are specialists out there that are experts in causes of dizziness, try googling for one in your area. Sometimes the blood flow to the head can be compromised and cause similar symptoms, so I would get this checked out.
Re. unstable knees...this basically refers to the combination of ligament, muscular and neurological control in the knee, ie simply how stable it is functionally. There are many exercises you can be taught for knee strengthening, core strengthening, balance re-education etc that can help with this, so see a physiotherapist who can assess you for deficits and then teach appropriate exercises. Good luck.
Andy Schmidt
The Active Physio's Blog - Ideas and answers to common musculoskeletal health questions, from a physiotherapy/physical therapy perspective

[Musculoman]

Morning Snowflake!

You would be amazed how high the % of people over 55 with undiagnosed / undiagnosable BPPV is, I would get this looked into again. Even if the "test" (called Dix-Hallpike) is not positive it may be useful to learn the treatment maneuvers and try them for a few weeks.

Dizziness can also be attributed to Cervicothoracic conditions (your neck and upper back), which is why the massage may have helped. Get someone to look at your Scalenes, Sternocleidomastoid, and suboccipital muscle groups. Dysfunction in your neck can lead to many symptoms including dizziness. Have you also talked to your doctor about any medications you are currently on, discuss the side affects, this can be easily overlooked.

As Andy said occasionally blood supply to the head can be impacted, especially during certain positions of your head. Do you get dizzy turning your head to the side for 30-40 seconds? (if so stop this test straight away!).

How about your eyes? How is your vision? If the input from your eyes is poor sometimes if it doesn't match the input coming from your inner ear it can cause vertigo / dizziness.

Dizziness can be quite a complicated topic! Make sure to keep us informed and we will give any help we can.