Knee problems

[GrumpyTwig]

Try and cut a long story short here...

Have had pain problems with my left knee for years (going on 15 years). Started when I was in my teens and was suggested as being Osgood Schlatters but given it was still an issue and is long after I've stopped growing it seems unlikely?

Over the last 6+months I've been on a slow uptake in increasing my exercise levels, mainly walking/hiking.
However now, pains are back again and quite bad, don't feel muscular more like ligaments.

Question is... who do I go to first? GP? Physio?

[The_Doc]

It's all in the story, so it depends who listens to you best.

Sometimes that's the GP, but rarely these days in my opinion, based on what gets to me.

you can't use MRI as a screening tool, or to substitute for experience and a good listen. It's no good for 'fishing'

So: perhaps start with your GP and if they have no idea what it is, and just send you off for an MRI, then find (and sometimes sadly, pay for)
a good sports physio.

85% of the diagnoses I make are simply from listening to the patient's history. Examination adds 10% and MRI the last 5% when needed.

[GrumpyTwig]

Thanks, might start there and see where I get.

[Reno]

Knees are quite simple Joints if a bit complex in there structure.
Generally if you rule out damage the next Thing to look at is Hip or Ankle. Any mis-alignment in These will result in knee Problems.
The knee moves on one plain of movement. If it does not run straight then it will give pain.
Hips and ankles are very complex and work in multiple plains and do easily go out of alignment giving back, knee etc etc Problems.
Any pelvic tilt or Twist will give Problems. Any ankle Problems will pull the Tib and or Fibula out of line..... the Point that sees the Problem is the knee.
Pain can come from the tendon around the patela or in the knee itself as the knee Joint Tibia and Femur and cartilidge doesnt glide properly (Femoral groove) and gets all gnarled up.
A good physio might help.

[Craikeybaby]

Last month a aggravated an old knee injury by falling off my bike. My first port of call was the GP who was able to refer me for an MRI and to the NHS Physio.

MRI took about 4 weeks, and still haven't had the results after another 2 weeks. NHS Physio was going to take 3 months, so I went private. Fortunately in my case it was a one off appointment and I was sent off with a list of exercises to do daily.

[mr mac i]

Spent years with knee pain, various visits to GPs til my mid 20's when one suggested that they would refer me for an exploratory op to 'have a wee rummage about and see if there was anything wrong' at which point I decided to just put up with it. Fast forward to a couple of years ago (around now) I had a tiny tweek standing up, couldn't walk day one and barely able day two, dragged to A&E against my will by my wife. Consultant confirmed nothing catastrophic but ended up referred to Orthopod, appointment mid February. Spent 15 minutes talking about what happened and the ongoing issues; walk and then bend each leg whilst he watched what my knee did. Diagnosed muscle imbalance, best treatment physio; 1st appointment a few weeks later and after 10 or so visits with exercises in between all sorted an no problems since.

So thoroughly recommended trying a self referral to physio!

[GrumpyTwig]

mr mac i said:

Spent years with knee pain, various visits to GPs til my mid 20's when one suggested that they would refer me for an exploratory op to 'have a wee rummage about and see if there was anything wrong' at which point I decided to just put up with it. Fast forward to a couple of years ago (around now) I had a tiny tweek standing up, couldn't walk day one and barely able day two, dragged to A&E against my will by my wife. Consultant confirmed nothing catastrophic but ended up referred to Orthopod, appointment mid February. Spent 15 minutes talking about what happened and the ongoing issues; walk and then bend each leg whilst he watched what my knee did. Diagnosed muscle imbalance, best treatment physio; 1st appointment a few weeks later and after 10 or so visits with exercises in between all sorted an no problems since.

So thoroughly recommended trying a self referral to physio!

Yeh, I haven't done so yet as it's got remarkably better since Sunday when I was in constant pain with it. Your issue sounds very similar to my previous diagnosis many moons ago and maybe I've taken my ability to trudge through 7 miles of moorlands a bit for granted and need to look at building strength.
I've started back with some exercises I recall being told to do back then to see if I can build it back up. See how I get on for now and after the new year if I'm still having issues I found a good physio nearby.

[speedymotor]

I would go to a gp first... as a physio can just end up trying to sell you things.
But dont let the gp fob you off if he is too busy to give you a proper diagnosis either.

[gazapc]

Fortunately its not my knees that regularly play up but my hips, even so another +1 for physio, as someone suggested above, even just talking to them was able to get most of the diagnosis.

I did have some mild knee pain and soon after took up cycling. Only short distances to the station but made a hell of a difference.