Knee Pain

[Jayd1942]

I have knee pain and swelling that comes and goes.  I have been to an Orthopedic and have had x-rays and MRI.  Nothing specific was noted in the x-ray and scan.  The Dr suggested orthoscopic surgery  to see what he might be able to do.  I have not had the surgery.
He also suggested I may have osteoarthritis.  The pain will come with walking, sometimes very quickly and sometimes not much at all.  When the pain comes, I have a swelling on the outside of the knee joint about the size of half a golf ball.  When I rest the swelling and pain go away within 10 or 20 minutes. This doesn't sound like arthritis to me.
A two-fold question, would these symptoms be consistent with AO?  Or do these symptoms sound more like damage to the meniscus?  
Also...what are the risks in doing the surgery without any specific diagnoses?  

[Jayd1942]

Thank you Dr Kaul,  recently I have noticed that if I do any activity on my knees for an extended time the knee issue is exacerbated and it takes several days to get back the normal pain and swelling.  I plan to get a second opinion and then make a decision on what to do.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

This could be arthritis at early stages, though without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to comment specifically. The symptoms are not specifically indicative of a meniscal tear which if present would have been appreciated on a physical examination and the MRI. Well, the surgery is an arthroscopy to look directly into the joint through small incisions. It may run some risk of infection, inflammation etc but may occasionally be worthwhile to come to a conclusive diagnosis.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!