A month ago I started physical therapy for my hips. Bursitis and it band syndrome, both sides, of course. It had gotten to a point where the pain and stiffness was unmanageable. During the evaluation I noticed that my right knee was having some pain on the medial side (inner).
Well, a bit over a week ago it went from discomfort with certain positions only to PAIN! No swelling, oddly enough. It hurts all the time, hurts to straighten it, hurts to walk, hurts on stairs, hurts to sleep, etc. I put myself on nsaids and made myself an appointment with the orthopedist and will have that in a week and a half, thank goodness. Iām trying to manage the pain gracefully but itās not really working out
Well, when you learn how toā¦ ā¦can you please tell me how. It tends to manage me I try to fight it, but it often bashes me into submission. āLaydown or Iāll put you downā¦ā and it puts me down hard.
More pain to deal withā¦not needed at any time! I too have had my share of knee pain and one scope on right knee. I guess you will have an MRI to look for obvious mechanical issues. Injury, wear and tearā¦inflammation? Is it āhotā? Knees seem to like ice especially that medial area. Bursitis can be so painful! Iāve had it in one hip and my shoulders. The hip occasion came on really quick and I wondered what I did to cause it. Itās very disabling and the change of gate to deal with pain can cause knee, ankle, foot or back pain. Hopefully this will pass with timeā¦put your feet up and watch āI love Lucyā as a distraction! Get well soon.
The knee is not hot? Well, in my opinion and really extensive knee pain experience (for whatever thatās worth) (1) good news itās probably not PsA (2) bad news is that itās probably OA.
I have for years had IT band pain and bursitis. PT has helped some but I seem to have chronically super tight ligament/tendons. You could probably play my Achilles like a violin. I put it down to PsA but My knee was very painful and bowing inward for several years before I finally decided to break down and start replacing body parts. In fact just about the time I had decided that enough was enough COVID shut down all nonessential, non emergent surgeries. Perfect So I hobbled around with a cane AND a knee brace for about a year before I finally got the replacement. Itās pretty good now. Unfortunately I canāt kneel unless itās on a very thick cushion like a thick anti fatigue mat. And even then not for long but now I can at least walk for as many miles as my crappy spine will allow. The new knee isnāt as good as the factory original was pre-degeneration but probably as good as after market parts get. And in case youāre thinking of topical amelioration, I found nothing that worked. Not Salon Pas, not Voltaran, not CryoDerm, not Biofeeze, not Icy Hot, not not Ben Gay, not Ben Hur, not the local shaman, not the miracle-that-drs-donāt-want-you-to-know lotions and potions in the late night infomercials, not nothinā! Maybe youāll have better luck. Guess once itās down to bone on bone your choice is to live with it or get it replaced.
Yup! We know how to have ALL the fun. Hope your appointment goes well. Maybe it will turn out to be something other than looking at a replacement. If so hopefully something that can be fixed Good luck
Itās good you are seeing orthopedics. I injured my knee last August 2 days before vacation. Thought it was a strain. It got worse. By January it was bad. Put it off until May. Had torn meniscus in front and back. Now 100%. And it all started with a stumble when I went left and my foot stuck.
PS. If it is your meniscus there is a bonus to surgery. They cleaned all the osteoarthritis out of that knee and said it should never need a replacement.
Sorry to hear this @Stoney. Re busitis and IT band horror - thatās most likely PsA caused. Iām surprised theyāre going down the route of PT rather than a steroid shot into the bursa sac. I had hip bursitis this summer, got an MRI it showed it loud and clear and also showed tendon inflammation into the buttock and around the top of the thigh. In my head that was probably IT band stuff too. One steroid shot into the bursa sac later and it all resolved. The tendon stuff took a while longer ro resolve as in ten days or but my hip was amazing after 48 hours.
Obviously considering I was hobbling about for a least a month with the hip bursitis, my gait blew up my other foot and both knees. One significantly more painful than the other. Again over 10 days or so my knee issues also resolved. I do have a little damage in the foot but now symptoms are back to normal levels of pain rather than the enhanced stuff I was suffering from.
Remember OA damage and PsA damage look the same to an untrained in PsA radiologist or indeed othropaedic consultant. So Iād be really wary indeed of accepting any OA nonsense as itās far more likely to be PsA induced damage instead given you have had PsA for quite a number of years now. The change in gait from something like burisitis is pretty extensive and intensive so donāt under estimate the effects of that on your knee either.
I donāt knownmuch about how PSA affects others, but I do know how it affects me. It attacked my left hip for about four years and I thought it would cripple me. Eventually it moved on elsewhere. It has destroyed my toes, done much damage to my fingers, ankles, wrists, elbows, shoulders. Fortunatly it tends to attack an area and then move on. Eventually it comes back to the area it has previously attacked but doesnt seem to attack with as much vengance with following assults.
I just went through this mind bending pain for the last year and a half. My orthopedic shot the bursa but only received about a week or two relief. Then she sent me for PT which wasnāt working. I decided to go to a pain specialist and he used ultrasound to guide where he was shooting the steroid in the IT band. I had this done twice with only marginal relief.
I finally asked for an MRI because the pain was unbearable. It was not the IT band but a combination of fluid near the joint, bursa inflamed, and some tendon under the IT band. He put me under anesthesia and really shot the areas that were the trouble makers. Iāve been pain free now for 6 weeks. I was like youā¦. I couldnāt walk, climb stairs, sit, lay down, or really anything without pain.
I hope you find the relief you need. I suffered for a very long time when an MRI in the beginning could have shown the problems.
I forgot to mention, I also had the pain by my knee which is why they kept thinking it was the IT band. But, that pain is gone as well now.
I saw the orthopedist today about my knee. She strongly suspects a meniscus tear. Iāll be getting an MRI a week from today and then following up two days later.
The list of options wasnāt awful. Steroid injection, gel injection, PT, surgery, not necessarily in that order. Iām guessing Iāll start with an injection next week
Everyoneās knee issues are different, I had right knee scope 8 years ago for a meniscus tear confirmed by an MRI. It helped a bit. My left knee also has a tear and I didnāt have surgery. They are both the same after PT, exercise and stretching and much better than 2 years ago. My GP who is trustworthy and keeps up to date said, āknee scopes used to be the bread and butter of the orthopaedic surgeons (like tonsil removal in the ā60ās) but lately they are correlating a high likelihood of knee replacement on those who had scopes to cleanup cartridge tears.ā. And she recommended against surgery unless nothing else helps. As you know, surgery always removes knee material (cartridge)and it doesnāt grow back but time and other treatment can bring about a degree of healing to the meniscusā¦very slowly and if not re-injured. Iām glad I listened to my GP.
Hereās an update. It is a meniscus tear. Itās the posterior horn of the medial meniscus. Itās small enough with no mechanical issues that thereās no reason to see an orthopedic surgeon. I did get a cortisone shot and a prescription for physical therapy which Iāll be starting on Friday
Follow up question. I had a steroid shot just over a month ago and had a really good response to it for a bit. But now the pain is ramping up again. I AM doing PT right now for the knee. To add to my fun, the left knee is starting to have pain as well.
@Amos how long did it take to get some sort of relief from the knee that you didnāt have operated on? Does it continue to cause you trouble?
Anyone have suggestions? Iām getting very frustrated that the knee pain is back so soon and getting worse.
About 2 years ago, I couldnāt walk for any length of time, had to sleep on my side with a pillow between my knees and was very slow going down the stairs. Both of my knees are still quite tender to touch on one point of bone on the inside part sort of where my knees would knock together. (no, Iām not knock kneedā¦yet. With my luck, knock knees is a side effect of prednisone) BUT, I am walking well, and as long as I donāt catch my toe on something and yank my foot outward, Iām pretty content with where I am at and have no pain at while at rest. So, its been slow but I would say a bit over a year it has just kept getting better, As you know, the meniscus has poor circulation so healing takes for ever and it takes very little to set it back. Walking on ice is really bad. Hopefully your PT will tell you exactly how to exercise in a way that builds muscle but doesnāt aggravate it the tear. Hang in, I am proof that minor tears can heal. Oh yaā¦use ice as often as possibleā¦it really helps!
Thatās a bit reassuring, thank you. And thank you for mentioning the pain to the touch, got that too
Right now Iām back to pain at rest and pain with pretty much all activities including standing. Itās not as awful as it was but itās definitely getting worse. I am doing my exercises at home and itās not making things worse, but Iām not really seeing much forward progress either
I try to fight it, but it often bashes me into submission. āLaydown or Iāll put you downā¦ā and it puts me down hard.
My knee was very painful and bowing inward for several years before I finally decided to break down and start replacing body parts. In fact just about the time I had decided that enough was enough COVID shut down all nonessential, non emergent surgeries. Perfect 
So I hobbled around with a cane AND a knee brace for about a year before I finally got the replacement. Itās pretty good now. Unfortunately I canāt kneel unless itās on a very thick cushion like a thick anti fatigue mat. And even then not for long but now I can at least walk for as many miles as my crappy spine will allow. The new knee isnāt as good as the factory original was pre-degeneration but probably as good as after market parts get. And in case youāre thinking of topical amelioration, I found nothing that worked. Not Salon Pas, not Voltaran, not CryoDerm, not Biofeeze, not Icy Hot, not not Ben Gay, not Ben Hur, not the local shaman, not the miracle-that-drs-donāt-want-you-to-know lotions and potions in the late night infomercials, not nothinā! Maybe youāll have better luck. Guess once itās down to bone on bone your choice is to live with it or get it replaced.
Good luck