Still needing answers

The anterior portion of my left knee has been hurting for about a year and a half now
              • I went into the OS   in late June of 2008 and he said it was probably plica syndrome. He  prescribed           Naproxen as needed, but  there was no change whatsoever.

              • I went in again in early August of 2008 and he said that it was idiopathic and there was nothing really he could do. He named some things, but didn't seem too eager to do anything and said we'd just see how it goes.

       The pain is almost constant , but it does seem to get somewhat better at times. I haven't noticed any major activity differences between when the pain is at its worse and when it gets better. I'm not running any marathons! Occasionally, my hip on that same side(left) hurts along with the knee. Whether that is from a gait change or what I don't know.  The doctor seemed to believe  the knee pain would eventually go away, but it is affecting my life and I’m started to get very weary of it. I no longer take naproxen as I did. I recently started working as a stocker at Wal-mart and the knee pain has now almost become constant. The other night I noticed that my left knee looked puffy compared to the right one.  I am only 19 and I don't know what to do next. Should I go back in to the original OS I visited nearly a year ago? Should I seek another opinion? Does anybody have a suggestion as to what could cause this?

Other facts: I do work around animals, so I've taken some falls, but  nothing that caused immediate pain or swelling and nothing just  before the pain started. I also suffered from something believed to be a tick borne illness in 2007. Tested neg for lyme. I am a skinny, fairly active girl who does not play sports.

[Dr Vinod]

You should visit an expereinced orthopaedicain who specialises in joints. Try to find out if there is any problem with tendon insertion and the joint. Also check for any nerves problem. A routine back examination is also necessary to correlate your symptoms. Confront the case in a fresh way, diagnosis and proper treatment would cure you. Wear proper shoes, take intermittent pain killers till you schedule your visit.Take care!