r/KneeInjuries

Hi everyone,

For about two years now, I’ve been dealing with intermittent pain, sensations of instability, and chronic clicking in my left knee. While it has never completely stopped me from walking, it’s still quite a nuisance in my daily life because I’m very active and workout a lot.

This issue didn't start after a recent trauma or ACL surgery, but I did have some impact injuries on this knee in the past (skateboarding, falls with swelling/edema). My knee occasionally becomes painful during flexion, specifically on the inner side, just above the VMO insertion.

The feeling of instability is there almost every day. As soon as I put a bit of flexion on it, the knee clicks—sometimes loudly, sometimes not—and I can actually feel it shifting. After a period of immobility, I feel a tightness when I start walking again, which disappears after a few steps once my knee clicks and seems to "reset" properly. This unstable feeling subsides during my leg days, likely because they help fire up my quadriceps, and the improvement usually lasts for a day or two after the workout.

Activities that trigger the instability:

• The rowing machine: really worsens that uncomfortable feeling of instability.
• Going up/down stairs and step-ups (Poliquin, Peterson...): very difficult without a thorough warm-up.
• Leg extensions with zero weight (bodyweight only): I get instability and a loud click/clunk at terminal extension. It's a very unpleasant movement, and my knee just feels weak. Curiously, if I use the leg extension machine at the gym, I can load it heavy and get great quad/VMO activation and contraction with no clicking at all.
• Running: causes absolutely no issues (I assume because there's very little knee flexion involved).

While doing some research, I came across Quad AMI (Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition). I’ve noticed a real struggle to voluntarily contract my left quad, especially the VMO. My right quad is more muscular, which could just be because I'm right-handed, but what really concerns me is the difference in muscle recruitment. When I voluntarily flex my right quad, my VMO gets rock hard, whereas the left one stays relatively soft/mushy.

I brought this up with a physical therapist and a sports medicine doctor, but they didn’t seem too concerned, probably because I’m still fully functional. However, I’m worried that if this is indeed AMI and I keep working out through it, I might cause irreversible damage due to the lack of proper patellar tracking from the VMO.

What do you guys think? Does this sound like AMI to you, or could it be something else (patellofemoral pain syndrome, meniscus tear...)?

I'm pretty stressed about this, so thanks a lot in advance for your insights!

I tore my ACL and my meniscus and I also have patella alta. I’m wondering if anybody else got the surgery with the MPFL reconstruction my doctor is giving me the choice to include the MPFL or not and I was wondering if anyone else has experience and how bad the recovery is with adding it versus not.

Fell Early April and didn’t get an MRI done until early May. First time I’ve had anything broken (28f). Stayed off the leg as much as possible during the month of April, I felt I had to go back to work and pushed it, left early the pain was so bad.
Once I finally got the MRI it was determined to be a fractured patella. It’s mid May now and I’m in a Velcro brace 0-30 degree (30 only for sitting which my foot just slips out from anyways) for about almost two weeks with a checkup next week.
I am losing my mind. Everything is incredibly rough, and I don’t have a stable supportive support system to rely besides my roommate who I’m running ragged and I feel awful for.
I think I just really need to read these stories that are most definitely far worse than mine.
What are the positive things you keep in your head while this happens? How do you feel if you have to go back to work and limp around and have to answer the same “how your leg doing” “how the pain” “don’t push yourself too hard” from people that have never gotten to know you before but for some reason suddenly constantly ask you how you are and looking at you with pity eyes. Guys I’ve barely left the house during these last two months and if I do I stay in the car it’s in the back seat.
I cry often always clenching my teeth even when resting and I’m beyond terrified to talk about mental health to a doctor especially since it’s all work comp related.

Anyone just get absolutely wrecked at work by knee injury and terrified you won’t be able to hide it when you get back? Or do I just need to buck up?

Okay so I’m 4 weeks post op for mpfl, lateral release, and trochleoplasty. My quad activation is definitely still slow and lagging. I’m fully off crutches already but they want me to get more strength before they let me out of my brace. So today they decide to try the e-stim machine. I’ve seen people talk about it online and everyone seemed to like it and said it helps nobody mentioned it would hurt so bad I thought I was dying. This has been the most painful day of pt I have ever had. I was genuinely crying while they told me to engage my muscles. Does this get better?? They weren’t even on the highest setting or where they wanted to be but I couldn’t stand anything more it felt like I was being electrocuted and my muscles were ripping apart. I want my strength back and my life but I’m genuinely not sure I can do this. I think they’ll want to do it again at my Friday appointment and I’m already so scared and dreading it. Any advice or thoughts??

Hello!
I am a 21 yo woman, and last year I got diagnosed with bilateral trochlear dysplasia type C and patella alta (I also have flat feet). My ortho said it is most likely genetic, and ever since, I have been terrified of working out.
You see, I got this diagnosis after feeling pain in both my knees for about 3 months after a gym session. I was working out the same as I had for months, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain in the outer part of my left knee; the pain in the right one followed soon after, and it got worse with time (some days I had immense pain even walking). When I got the diagnosis, I got an enormous sense of anxiety instead of relief. Basically, I got told that there is not much I can do apart from being careful, and surgery was not really advised, as the tedious recovery process would not be worth it for the benefits.

So I stopped working out altogether.

However, even before getting diagnosed, I had wanted SO BAD to learn how to run. I really enjoy the feeling of moving my body, especially in the outdoors, but I am absolutely terrified of damaging my knees. And mentally, I also feel the need to move in some sort of way, and running seems to be the most accessible to me (I am a student and don't have the financial means to hire a personal trainer for the gym, for example)

I would like to know if anyone has found themselves in this position, and if so, if they have any tips to share. I would massively appreciate it<3

21F, dislocated my patella five weeks ago, MRI showed only a stretched MPFL and mild meniscus damage. I have to wait a further 3 weeks to start PT (public healthcare system) but I'm pretty worried about my instability. I am trying to do some light excercises I found online to get my quads working again, but I'm quite apprehensive towards doing more since I've experienced this weird thing a couple of times now when extending my leg fully where my patella seemed to go too laterally and I heard/felt a slight pop when I bent my leg again, with no pain. Is this just maltracking or am I subluxing my patella? I'm still in a brace but I do my excercises with it off. I really don't want to ruin my recovery but I'm also aware my muscles are just gonna get weaker if I do nothing. I also don't even know if these popping episodes are worrying or just something normal at this stage. Does anyone have a similair experience or some advice to share?

So at the moment I have a knee injury and I am supposed to be going up Gran Paradiso and Mont Blanc in around 8 weeks. Lateral and Medial Meniscus both have minimal tears and ACL shows sign of injury but again minimal, this is a simplified version of the report from my MRI scan. It would be great to hear from any of you who have had similar injuries and how you dealt with them and especially how long your recovery was. Im undergoing a fairly extensive Physio routine everyday and I am prepared to cancel the trip soon if it does not feel like it will cut it. The fact that the injuries are described in the report as minimal still gives me a little bit of hope but I am realistic. I know they are not seriously technical climbs but you still have to respect every mountain.

Hi, just wondering if anyone has had quad / hamstring / or patellar tendinitis that prevents deep bending or crouching and what any of those tendinitis’ may feel like? I am working with PT and ortho but I haven’t gotten a clear diagnosis from either over the last 2.5 months.

• Have passed the physical exams for ACL /
meniscus done by 3 different doctors over time.
• I never had major swelling or bruising.
• One orthopedic surgeon said that I have some maltracking but doesn’t think I need surgery for it (can swelling from tendons cause maltracking or is it always structural?)
• x-rays are clear.

I have a little bit of grinding, almost like if you accidentally ground your teeth together, dull ache radiating down shin and above the knee. I was prescribed meloxicam also but only took it for about 10 days. my daily pain has improved but I still don’t have that full range of motion, and my perineal tendon at the
ankle/foot has started to grind and hurt in recent days. I think one or several of the PT exercises may be aggravating my legs but not sure which.

I usually feel a pulling / achy sensation around the kneecap when I get to around 120-130° bent, and if I go too far the hamstring tendon behind knee on the outer side hurts. I had a new sensation the other day because I either bent at an odd angle or bent too deeply and felt a very sudden and sharp pain at the front of the knee that mostly resolved when I straightened my leg, but some dull ache has lingered around the patellar tendon. No popping at any point. Just curious because I have another follow up in June, and I’m really hoping they’ll order an MRI then.

The backstory is that I fell skiing and got a bone bruise on R leg, rested for a few days and either the prolonged rest and/or crutches irritated my L leg - which is now the more painful of the two. Been 2.5 months but starting to stagnate with progress in ROM and discomfort level. Before injury I was xc skiing a lot, 6-7 miles a day and upwards of 14 miles on weekends, so tendinitis makes sense but I haven’t had it before and don’t know what to expect.

A few weeks ago, when I was getting out of my car, I accidentally twisted my leg while my foot was planted. There was a loud pop in my knee, and I collapsed. I’ve been in terrible pain ever since.

I got x-rays, which showed nothing besides a slight patellar tilt. I went to an orthopedic doctor, who believed it was probably a ligament or my meniscus. I got an MRI, and my doctor was shocked by the results. I have an osteochondral tibia plateau fracture, which couldn’t be seen on the x-rays.

My doctor said this is a case she’ll never forget, and she hasn’t ever seen a tibia fracture from just twisting- she’s only seen them from high impact car accidents, or eldery people falling.

I am a healthy 20 year old woman. I am hypermobile and have suspected EDS, but besides that, I am healthy. Obviously, there is probably something underlying, so I will be getting some labs and a bone density test. However, it’s crazy to know that the manner of my bone fracture was a once in a career kind of thing for my doctor. Of course, I know it’s not a good thing, lol.

If anyone here has had a tibia plateau fracture, please let me know how the healing process was! Luckily, mine is non displaced, and I will be getting x-rays every two weeks to make sure that it stays that way.

TLDR: I twisted my knee and injured it. My orthopedic doctor and I thought it was a ligament tear or meniscus injury. However, it turned out that I somehow fractured my tibia from just twisting it, which I guess is extremely rare to happen to a healthy 20 year old (and probably a signifier of something underlying). My doctor said she will remember this case for the rest of her career, and it was the first tibia break she’d ever seen caused by something so low-impact in someone my age.

Hi everyone!

I was diagnosed with chondromalacia, and based on the MRI, the doctor said it is caused by a plica. I don’t have any pain, my knee just clicks/pops. The doctor recommended arthroscopic surgery, but he phrased it like, “if you want, we can operate,” which makes me think he doesn’t consider it urgent.

Has anyone here had a plica removal? Could you share your experience with the recovery? Unfortunately, I’ve read quite a few negative opinions about the surgery afterward.

I’m scared because I don’t know whether I should interfere with my knee with a surgery like this, since I don’t have pain, only the annoying clicking. On the other hand, I’m worried that if I leave it untreated, it could wear down the cartilage over time.

I’m 24 years old.

Thank you for any advice.

I’m a division 1 swimmer who’s getting meniscus repair surgery in a couple weeks. I do not have much Reddit experience but this is the only place I think I can find advice. I tore my lateral (white zone??) meniscus from overuse of my breaststroke kick. Since this was over a year ago and I have been training through it, I also now have a cyst in the back of my knee that they’ll need to drain. My pain is not super bad and only really hurts when I’m training and the following days after which causes the locking and what not.

What im here to ask is what some average people would think my recovery would be like. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories on here about needing a lot of medication and not being able to get out of bed and it’s really freaking me out. I’m kind of hoping since I’m young and an athlete the recovery will be easier on my body but I genuinely have no clue what to expect.

How do I use the toilet also.

Anyways the reason for this post is because I intend on coaching a couple weeks after my surgery which will involve me having the stand for a bit but I can take breaks and sit down. I’m hoping that I can still do this.

Thank you if you’ve made it this far and please don’t just tell me what I need to hear, if I’m going to be in excruciating pain I need a heads up.

Last month, my fiancé and I decided to start rollerblading - It was a hobby I did as a child, and one we hoped to begin together. On literal day one of rollerblading, I had a bad fall, and it resulted in an ACL tear. Almost one month later, we are finally moving forward with the scheduling of surgery since insurance was a hassle, and it took a long time to get an MRI scheduled.

With the surgery coming, what do I have ahead of me? Most importantly, how do I stay positive?

We are supposed to get married at the end of June, next month, and it feels like I'm spiraling and the whole world is against me. Little things that I didn't realize I did so often, I now miss so much: sitting criss-crossed, sleeping on my stomach, walking during my lunch break, and just getting out of bed have been hard. Before the incident, I had finally gotten a routine again at the gym after so long of postponing it- I felt so great about myself and the future ahead of us. Now, I just can't help but feel like everything is against me. I have no motivation. I'm trying to practice my crafts and hobbies to keep my mind occupied, but it isn't the same as the physical activities I enjoyed so much.

24 M (Lateral: Complex - Horizontal + Oblique Tear in Red-Red and Red-White zone + a loose ACL which was not touched)

Just over 2 years post-op I figured I'll write this here. I had injured myself in 2022 playing football but didn't get a surgery then being fearful. Two years later when the pain became constant the year had progressed to be a complex tear and I finally made my mind up to get the arthroscopy, I kinda regretted not getting the surgery earlier as it was a smaller cleaner tear early on.

I still remember the day of the surgery as of it was yesterday. I remember being reeled into the operation theatre and small talking with the anaesthesiologist before blacking out and waking up with a massive brace on my right leg. Anaesthesia is super weird you feel like you're gone for a few minutes while irl my surgery took about an hour. Was discharged the following day an a walker. The surgeon said part of the year was shredded and trimmed off but he was able to preserve 90% of my meniscus and performed a repair. The days after the surgery were tough I'm a 6 feet 2 inch tall guy and weigh roughly 95 kilos so everything was just tough but I took it one day at a time.

And then a combination of two things happened. I didn't do my towel quad sets properly and my hospital assigned physio was pathetic. I wasn't getting better. In fact fear overcame me to the point that I was not able to walk without a stick until 3 months postop! I was scared of messing the repair up. I remember one night waking up with an ache on the lateral side of my right knee and panicking.

As I just barely had started to walk normally fate hit hard again and I caught a stomach infection and a fever which lasted for 3 weeks. That inflammation caused Reiter's which affected my right leg the most probably because it was my weakest set of joints. Horrible period in my life tbh. But that caused something sinister... I was slowly and slowly developing health anxiety. As an avid ChatGPTer I started googling every single symptom in the months following my recovery. I bought a CD reader to connect it to my laptop to view my MRI images. I went to the Lab near me and asked for all random tests done. Every single organ, every week. This lasted for three months. I am now aware a lot of these symptoms were exacerbated if not directly caused by intense anxiety and the fear of something wrong happening. Now 10 months post-op I was aimless and fearing everything. I had unnecessary and partial knowledge of health and biology lmao.

As random as it may sound one day I snapped... I switched physios to a much more expensive sport physio centre which later became my S&C centre. That was honestly a blessing. I became more diligent. I was focused on making my comeback. I wanted to comeback stronger. I also had a few more personal wins on the side... Was gaining strength and proper form and slowly the symptoms started to fade. I felt like I was being normal again. 5 months after starting physio I went to another country solo and extensively travelled for about 2 weeks in which I hiked and walked a lot. I started to run soon after that. Trained better. More focused.

And exactly 22 months post-op, 12 months after starting with the new physio I completed my first ever Half-marathon in a decent time as well. I beat it... I beat my anxiety and made it my bitch. Without meds, without therapy... I gained control of my myself and shifted focus to my goals.

So my 2 cents for anyone struggling:

1. Patience and optimism are everything. This is going to be long so buckle up.
2. Don't force it. Everyone has different timelines.
3. Be gentle with your strength and conditioning but be consistent.
4. Regardless of this the risk of re-injury remains especially in the first few months so don't overdo it, but like I said consistency beats everything.
5. Have a good S&C coach / physio. Someone who understands who you are, what your expectations are and what outcomes you want.
6. You are much more than this stupid knee injury. Don't skip on life. Go out sit on the grass, meet friends, go to work. BE SOCIAL. (Not being social during my initial recovery made me get anxious, I was on WFH)

I feel great now btw. I run, I lift and I swim. Can squat 110 Kgs, Hip Thrust 80 Kgs, do RDLs, Lateral stepdowns, Curls, Nordics etc as my strength and conditioning plan myself at the gym now and I LOVE LEG DAYS.

LET'S GO!

I'd love to hear your success stories or to help anyone in my DMs. Feel free to drop a text.

Hi everyone. I am a 33 yo male and about three years ago I had a partial medial meniscectomy. I was hoping to hear from younger people who’ve had the procedure and how you’re feeling years later.
My initial rehab went about as well as it could have. Had trouble with fluid retention, but did PT for around three months and gradually returned to daily life, light running, and the gym when I could. Over time, though, I started noticing weakness in the joint. I didn’t think too much of it at first because I assumed it would just take time to feel “normal” again.
A few months ago, I began noticing significant atrophy in my operated leg, along with increasing clicking in the knee. Since then, I’ve realized I’ve also developed a leg-length discrepancy from compensation patterns and gait changes. I was prescribed another round of PT to address the muscle imbalances that have developed.
Honestly, I’ve been having a hard time coming to terms with this new normal and have been spiraling a bit about my long-term mobility and the possibility that a total knee replacement could eventually be in my future. I also feel somewhat deceived by my surgeon. The procedure was presented as relatively quick and straightforward, and I don’t think I fully understood the long-term realities and potential consequences that could come with it.
At this point, I’m trying to figure out the best next step for recovery, but I’ve almost felt paralyzed making decisions because the first procedure led to so many outcomes I wasn’t expecting. I’d really appreciate hearing any long-term partial meniscectomy success stories, especially from younger people, and how you’re doing years later.

Right now, it feels like one path leads toward OA and chronic pain, while the other could involve more corrective surgery. Any thoughts, experiences, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've had left knee problems since I tore my MPFL at 14, had reconstruction surgery, but it kept subluxing. Now at 27 I'd finally started taking it seriously weight training, VMO work, hips, glutes and genuinely felt like a different person. Stairs got easier, I went back to volleyball, I felt great.

Then two weeks ago, my bf made me twirl unexpectedly at a bar and I laterally dislocated my right knee. Fell, instinctively pushed it back in myself, went straight to A&E. X-rays showed no obvious fracture, though they mentioned a possible tiny avulsion fragment near the femoral condyle they couldn't confirm without an MRI. I could bear weight and do a straight leg raise at the time.

A specialist later told me I have patella alta, laterally-resting patellae, and likely shallow trochlear grooves, probably why I could self-reduce. They advised moving as normally as possible and bending as much as I could tolerate. After two weeks of keeping it straight, I pushed to 90 degrees in one session, felt amazing but painful. Woke up the next day stiff and more swollen, now struggling to get past 30–40 degrees.

I know I probably overdid it. I know first-time dislocations rarely need surgery. But I'm posting here partly because I feel sad and isolated, and partly because I genuinely want honest advice.

Should I keep pushing ROM or back off? Is waking up more swollen a sign I've caused damage? What do I do when it flares up? Any advice from people who've been through this would mean a lot. 💙

My right knee has been hurting for over two weeks now, and it’s gotten so severe that I can’t walk anymore without it hurting to the high hells. Me and my mom thought it might be IT band syndrome, but no matter how many stretches I do it doesn’t get any better, and in fact only seems to get worse.

I haven’t had any recent injuries to make it hurt like this. I have finals this week so I can’t skip school, and it’s becoming more difficult to walk upstairs. I’m wearing a knee sleeve and it’s not helping at all. Anyone have any ideas or tips on what it is or how to heal it? Much appreciated

Okay calling all who have had a specific kind of tear.

My doctor by X-rays only said I have a COMPLEX MENISCUS TEAR THAT IS LIKE A ROAD MAP, is how announced it to me.
HE SAID IT GOES UP DOWN AROSS ALL AROUND. No set vertical or horizontal .
THATS why he said a road map it goes all over the place.
Shots did not work. Wants to wait a few years for total knee replacement. Braces help some but not much. Anything I do I end up more swollen and on ice.

Please. Help what have you done or what are you doing for this same type tear??