PLEASE RESPOND

I was hit in the back of my knee 3 months ago during football training. In the beginning it was swollen and  it hurt to walk on. Now, 3 months after, without any treatment, my knee is back to normal in appearance. I can walk and run without it hurting but i still cannot play football. Whenever i stretch my knee (for example to reach a high ball), or trun rapidly on my knee changing direction, my knee begins to hurt and i begin to limp. The surprsing part is that the pain only lasts for a short time and if it wasn;t for the fear of causing permanent damage to my knee i would be back on the pitch playing. What can be the problem with my knee?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to say. Likely possibilities include minor injuries to menisci, ligament or tendons, inflammations like bursitis, tendonitis etc. It would be best to get this evaluated by an orthopedician or a sports medicine specialist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.
Hope this helps.

Take care!