For the last 4-5 years I have had pain in both knees, especially when walking down hill, stairs

Hi Gail it could actually be your hips not your knee.

This could be referred pain, I'm told this is what mine is and it is really bad, I have had xrays and MRI and that's what I'm told, I also get the noise and can feel the knee grinding and moving when I put my hand on it so can Dr

You de need an X ray with your Knee Bent (As is shows what is happening when coming down stairs) and and MRI Scan. This sounds exactly the same as my problem. I am 48 years old. My Knee caps had worn away allowing Ostio Arthritis Hence the grinding noise. I also had no cartlidge left. I was told by my surgeon that it is quite common in women or age.

My xray said nothing too. When I did my mri, it appeared I have internal meniscus cut and degenerative meniscus behind the cap. That's why it keeps clicking every single time I bend it. I am 23 and honestly dunno why it happened except perhaps wrong sitting positions. I have it only in the right knee. It pains me 24/7. One dr advised me for plasma injections to stimulate meniscus growth. If you have no problem with the bones, your xray will say you have no problem at all. X-rays only show bones but not the ligaments and the meniscus. Those shown on mri

Hi Gail, you can have smaller ops than a tkr, I was around your age when I had my first arthroscopy-- some cartilage had broken off and jammed in my knee joint while I was out shopping. I had had grating and pain in my knees for a few years even at that age. I had it removed and the surgeon said there was very little cartilage left, and I would probably end up in the same situation again.

After that, my knees just got worse, and the telling thing is I couldn't walk downhill and got quite frightened about falling, to the point where I would go out of my way to avoid steep streets.

Right knee then started dislocating, I could get in car, knee was out, I had to get out and stand on it so it went back in, this happened quite regularly.

I went to GP who sent me to specialist physio, she gave me a steroid injection, and informed me I would need a replacement, I was shocked -- don't know why, think I was in denial! 

I had a TKR, all went well and thank goodness I could bend my knee again, hadn't realised quite how badly I was limping before op.

other knee then got worse, and I had a microfracture arthroscopy which worked for a year. That may be what they would do with you. Google it, it was really good at relieving pain and wasn't that bad to recover from. Another thing they can do is during arthroscopy the inject in a fluid that is like silicone and let's your knee slide over and make it easier to move.

I have since had other knee replaced and my walking is much better.

This all happened over a period of several years, so they can keep you going until the inevitable replacement.

Try to get your gp to refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon. He will over ride all the others.