Severe knee Pain,

[rebel_momma24]

I am a 24(will be 25 in 4 months) year old female. When-ever I was around 13, I crouched down to get some clothes out of our dryer and my knee locked, I thought at first I just needed to pop it but I couldn't force my knee to bend any further and I couldn't stand up. I ended up having to call my uncle to come help me, and eventually it unlocked itself. Well Here in the last 1-1/2, 2 year it has been giving me alot of problems. It stays Swollen, I can't bend it after sitting, It is constantly in severe pain, locks up to where I can only slightly bend it, just gives out while I am walking or standing andis tender to the touch at the vry top. I went to the E.R. once over it, and he said that he thought it was 1 of 2 things, either my knee cap was messed up or down in my knee was, My question is this, what will happen if I don't go to a doctor ( he told me some kind to go to but i forgot, and I currently have no insurance), and does anyone know what it could possibly be and what kind of doctor I need to see?

[rebel_momma24]

I have had both an X-Ray and MRI of it, they said it was Normal, but the pain is getting worse and the swelling also, you can hardly tell where my knee cap is anymore. I recently got copies of the MRI and x-ray on a dvd and on one of the images of the MRI it shows what looks like a rip on one side and like black watery image on the other. I have looked at Images of other MRI's of knees and cant find any that look the same. I was wondering if maybe it was a rip somewhere in my knee and it be blood? I know they said it was normal, but where I am from th ehospital isn't the greatest, they told a friend of mine she was fine and her back was broke, and a boy I went to school with was told he was fine after x-rays of his neck and a week later found it was broke, so you can imagine my weariness. Thank you.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello,

You would need a proper diagnosis to treat your condition. If it becomes chronic there is every possibility that you develop arthritis in the later part of life.

Take an appointment near an orthopedician and get your ligaments tested and go for an X-ray to confirm any bony involvement or an MRI to know about your joint, tendons and ligaments.

Take intermittent pain killers and also apply ice packs to decrease the inflammation.

Take care!