knee and quad injury

Hi there, sorry for yet another knee question but none of the other threads quite match.

I orginally injured my right knee playing rugby about 12 years ago, cracked / chipped the top off my patella, which is still in there floating about.
After this initial injury I started to brace my right knee for a while, the pain then moved to my left knee.
I was told at the time that this was due to one leg trying to compensate the other, and that I should learn to live with it and carry on training.

Since then I have had persistant problems with both knees that has been getting worse the last 12 months or so. Training and the gym have had to go out the window. My GP has reffered me to a physio as he belives I have muscle atrophy in both quads.

It has gotten to the point where driving, walking up and down stairs or even walking are difficult, at the weekend I walked about 4 miles (slowly) with my wife and daughter now my quads and knees (just above, possibly ligaments?) are causing me alot of pain.
I have been prescribed diclofenec and paracetamol but they aren't helping much.

The pain is usually at the top and sides of my knee, the joint is also unstable at times buckling when walking, and stiff after any exercise.

Does anyone have any idea's of what I could do in the meantime as my physio appoitment isn't for a few months? Any advice would be greately apprecited.
I'm 26 y/o male, 5'11", 12.5-13 stone.

Thanks in advance for any replies and sorry for the long first post, at the cross post it looked like it would fit better here.

Sounds from your description that this is a patella tracking issue. Or perhaps just an overuse issue. Balancing the way the leg muscles work will be important to restoring the normal mechanics. So someone needs to take a look at the way you are working out, help to assist recovery of the joint surfaces and ensure the approach is gradual yet progressive. You are young so I wouldn't worry to much suffice to say that you need to listen to your physio and work together on this to get a longterm result.

Thanks I think that's pretty much what my GP said, thanks for putting my mind at rest about it.

Is there anything you (or anyone else here) could reckomend short term? Like I said I'm trying not to over stress it with exersise / general use at the minute, but is there anything I could be doing in the mean time?
I'm just keeping myself dopped up on anti-inflamatorries and pain killers at the minute, if I could I'd like to do start doing something about the cause not just the symptoms

Maybe try some high doses of glucosamine sulfate and lay off the anti-inflammatories as they will be stopping the healing process.

Ok, I'm going to update this as I go incase anyone has similar problems.

On advice kicked the anti-inflammatories. I spent the day at work in knee supports, trying to keep my knees as stabile as possible and avoiding any sideways movement / buckling when I walked. I did the same at home but without the supports. Going to try and hunt down some suppliments at the weekend.

Driving is more of an issuse as it's hard to keep my toes and knee in-line and not crash the car, had a bit of pain after driving but not too much compaired to other times.

Today my knee pain is finally easing off (4 days after the last bit of walking) though worryingly the pain is moving to the ligaments at the back of knees, the quad pain is mostly gone but the top of knees are still tender.

The good news of the day is my physio is confirmed for the 14th Sep so fingers crossed that'll help.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome refers to pain at the front of the knee. It is also called anterior knee pain.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome occurs when the patella does not move or 'track' in a correct fashion when the knee is being bent and straightened. This movement can lead to damage of the surrounding tissues, such as the cartilage on the underside of the patella itself, which can lead to pain in the region. This injury is quite common in people who do a lot of sport, and adolescent girls

Patellofemoral knee pain can also occur following a knee injury, if the muscles of the quadriceps (especially VMO) considerably weaknened.
For more details please contact:
Dr. Prateek Gupta (Senior Surgeon)
Arthroscopy Surgery Clinic
C2/5 Safdarjung Development Area (SDA),
Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi - 110016
INDIA
Telephones: +91 9810852876, +91 11 26517776
24 x 7 Helpline & Appointment: +91 9810633876
Email: [email protected],
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Website: Knee injuries :: SPORTS :: MEDICINE :: NEW DELHI :: INDIA ::

Ok update time.

First Bob your good I've been told it's a tracking issue, probably coming from Osgood-Schlatter syndrome as a child, causing patellofemoral syndrome.

The ligaments and bone look ok just terrible muscle density. I've been given exersises and have a 5 week physio class to attend.
Fingers crossed.

the person who have osteoarthritis. age 54. he have swelling above the knee. wht we gave as treatment

i am a physiotherapist in the philippines i just have to ask i have a px that underwent a high tibial osteotomy is it common that muscle wasting is pertinent on this cases secondary to no resistance exercises for 6-8 weeks post op

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Hi Jamie

I've only just read your thread about your knee pain. I'd be interested to see how you are getting on after having a few sessions of physio?!?! Hopefully you are seeing some good results.