Acute Knee Pain-Struggling with Diagnosis

Seven times over the last year (Feb 2020) I have had something in my right knee shift that causing sudden excruciating pain to the point I scream and I can't bear any weight on it.

Feb 2020 I was sitting in a chair with my legs tucked under and stood up.

March 2020 I was on a stool and tucked my legs under on the rail or foot rest.

April 2020 I has sitting on another stool and without thinking did the same thing.

July 2020 I was asleep in bed and shift my legs under the covers.

October 2020 I was sitting on a stool with my legs on a foot rest out in front of me. I shift to adjust my legs.

March 2021 I was sitting and shifted my legs and it happened.

May 9th 2020. I was laying on the couch shifted my legs and it happened.

Occasionally I will have my right knee give out as I am walking and I stumble forward until I catch myself.

Treatment

All of the times I was able to have my husband or friend straighten my leg or yank on my foot and something would happen that made the leg shudder and the pain dropped back to almost zero from a 10.

I only suffered at most for half an hour before we could make something realign. I then did anti-inflammatories, alternating ice and heat with rest and elevation.

I have gone to my Ortho doctor. X-rays were done in Feb 2020. An MRI in April 2020. Both showed normal.

I was diagnosed with a subluxation of the patella but I have never seen or felt with my hand the knee cap out of alignment. I have been to PT on and off all these times and I was still going to PT when May 9th happened.

The May 9th incident is still unresolved. I have tried all the motions that send me screaming to try and get whatever it is back into alignment. I can't straighten the leg or bear any weight on it. Any motion at all is so escalates the pain no matter how minute, shifting my weight while sitting, in the car the pull of inertia in a turn, shifting my leg a few inches.

May 9th.

Urgent Care X-rays showed everything in its proper place but still the pain was excruciating. The knee cap was where it was suppose to be.

May 10th

ER because I couldn't get an Ortho visit and my right foot had darkened in color and felt different. My foot did not have tingles but it felt tight and swollen even though it visually looked the same compared to its partner.

-They gave me a Lidocaine patch (my first), Ibuprofen and Tylenol

Finally got an Ortho visit, he kindly fit me in at t

-MRI is ordered and pending.

-Meds remain the same as the ER.

May 11th

-I shifted my leg on the couch and something on the inner left top side of my right knee moved and the pain dropped by a lot. I can find a position where there is no pain and leave my leg there. I still feel a tightness and some pain in the knee but I have normal feeling and range of motion in my right foot now.

Has anyone had this happen to them? I just want a diagnosis that results in a treatment with a reliable knee. So I can move.

Normal Activity for me.

I am an active person. I bike ride 5 miles daily with 20+ mile rides on the weekend. I have been an amateur ballroom dancer for 20 years that social dances, performs and competes. I dance daily if possible after work. I had worked my way back up to almost my normal activity level when the March 2020 happened. Then I did the rest thing and under the guidance of PT worked my way back up to being more active.

I like to be on the move. I went for a short hike (5 miles) to see wild flowers last weekend, danced (2 hours), and did a 21 mile bike ride. I felt fine and I did dance team Monday and Thursday nights. I teach science and I move about the room and do not sit while teaching. I am a 42 year old female and 30 lbs overweight. I put on 20lbs since Feb 2020 and I was unable to be as active as I wanted to be.

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