Knee Discomfort, Stiffness, Pain. Taken Naproxen For Knee Inflammation. Have Hip Discomfort Also. Want Relief

Posted on Tue, 23 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 Answered on

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : For the past two days I have had a weird felling in my left knee. It feels like something snapped and only last a for a minutes of two where I am not able to move and then is stiff for a while after before I am able to move on it normally again. It happened at about the same time both days and when I was doing almost the same thing. That was that I was in the kitchen making lunch one day and the other day was standing in the kitchen sweeping. I have had this pain before, but the last time was about 4 months ago while at work walking through the halls of the school that I worked at. Then had one about a year ago while at the lake. I have had some problems with my knee for a few years and the last time I went to the doctor he told me that I had some inflammation in the knee, but nothing else was wrong. So he gave me Naproxen Sodium and had me take two twice a day. It seemed to work, but ever since then have been having problems on and off with that knee. Also noticed that my hips have been giving me some problems. If it helps I am a 24 year old female that is 5.3 and 173lbs. I just want some relieve as I am starting back to work at a middle school and have to be active with the ladies that I work for.

Answered by Dr. K. Naga Ravi Prasad (6 hours later)

Hi, thanks for writing to XXXXXXX

At the outset, I would like to assure you that your problem could be a MINOR one as you are getting pain only during specific activities and only ocassionally.

A serious underlying problem will produce pain constantly and continuously.

I suspect the following conditions as the cause of your pain -

* Meniscal tear - will also cause pain only when the tear gets caught between the femur and tibia (thigh and leg bones).
* Hoffa's disease -Nipping of patellar fat pad in between the bones of knee joint.Pain is typically felt below the knee cap.
* Osteochondritis dessicans - A localised area of bone in the lower femur detaches due to poor blood supply and may cause pain during certain movements of the knee.
* Knee strain - due to unaccustomed physical activity. Simple rest will resolve the issue in this case.

An MRI scan of the knee joint will help in arriving at a diagnosis.

A course of conservative management will help resolve the symtoms -
* activity modification by avoiding impact sports which causes more strain on the knee joint
* maintain an optimum body weight
* using an elastic compression bandage to reduce the swelling
* Ice packing to alleviate the pain
* Physiotherapy to strengthen the quadriceps muscle

If your symptoms are not improving, consult an orthopedic surgeon for a detailed evaluation and management.

Hope I have addressed your issues. Happy to help for any more clarifications.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. K. Naga Ravi Prasad (8 minutes later)

Then why does it seem to happen to me for a day or two and then go away for a few months to a year without me changing anything in my daily life. Also why would I be having hip discomfort in the right hip when the pain started in the left knee? I also have been doing a lot of lifting as I work with a lady that requires being transferred from place to place, but have not worked with her in a few weeks.

Answered by Dr. K. Naga Ravi Prasad (7 hours later)

Hi, thanks for getting back.

Its not possible to predict why the symptoms are occuring in you so randomly with a very long pain free interval unless you are thoroughly investigated for.

There is no correlation or connection between left knee and right hip pain. They may be just coincidental. Infact, a problem in the hip joint may present as pain in the knee ON THE SAME SIDE owing to the sharing of same nerve supply between them.

As I mentioned previously, it could be a simple knee strain which doesn't need much of a concern.

So, you need a direct clinical examination and necessary investigations to diagnose you condition.

Good day

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar