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Left knee wont straighten

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leland12458
leland12458

Did something to my left knee a few years back and never gotten it checked out. Basically landed on a rock on bad angle and it hurt to put weight on it right away. Irritated it twice after that and the other day I noticed that I cant fully straighten my left knee without pain, but my right is fine. Sound familiar to anyone? Gunna ask my doc for an mri next time I see him as ive notice my gait is really off an I think its caused by my left knee bot having full range and the right side compensates. Anyone have trouble straightening one leg after an injury? Any feedback appreciated.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 leland12458

    Posted

    I don't know where you are but the standard proceedure, mainly due to cost , is to xray 1st and look for bone damage and then MRI if soft tissue damage is possible. Again, depending on the doc and circumstances, physical therapy is sort of the 1st path offered. Of course if the joint is ravaged then it's the surgeons education that takes over.

    • leland12458
      leland12458 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Yeah, I got an x ray done, came back clear. When I injured my knee I internally rotated my leg and pushed off, right after I landed I couldn't put any weight on my left leg. Cant seem to straighten it as much as the right leg aswell without alot of pain.

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX leland12458

    Posted

    We know EXACTLY how to straighten a knee after a TKR but that is probably ill-advised for you.  Gotta get some imaging done by an orthopedic surgeon to see what's wrong.  Compensating for it will only throw your back out and lead to more pain.

    • leland12458
      leland12458 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Yeah I live in canada and have been waiting to see a rheumatologist but it takes so long. Wanted to get my whole lower body looked at as ive been having alot of hip pain aswell. Feels like all my weight is getting put on my right leg.
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX leland12458

      Posted

      This is very common in people recovering from a TKR.  Our bodies subconsciously want to avoid pain so we shift our gait to compensate.  That sets in motion a whole cascade of alignment issues in the hips, SI joints and lower back that just causes more pain...including sciatica.  Very common.  You need to fix the underlying problem to avoid all that extra pain.
    • leland12458
      leland12458 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Yeah, It makes sense if I am injured that my body would shift the way it moves. I can completely extend my right leg but the left feels like its being blocked by something and if I try to push through it it hurts. From what Ive heard it might be a meniscus tear. It really only hurts on the inside part of my knee too btw. I hate waiting for answers lol just want an mri already but this has been a long time coming I believe. Kind of to tough for my own good as I just shrugged it off but now its really bothering me. Part of me never thought to get it checked out aswell because I'm pretty positive its not an acl tear but I shouldn't speak till we find out.

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX leland12458

      Posted

      Back in my 50's, I had four knee "incidents" and every time the x-rays and MRIs showed nothing.  Only when the surgeon went in and scoped the knees (twice each side) did he find the torn meniscus or ripped femoral condyle cartilage (again, both sides).  So, four total scopes over 6-7 years.  But then again, I played hockey all my life.  Had to give it up after 45 years of playing.  Metal hip, metal knee and four spine surgeries including two fusions.  With 4 1/2 pounds of metal in me, I'm the TSA's worst nightmare at the airport.

    • leland12458
      leland12458 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Huh? Took a while to get to the root cause then? So if nothing shows on the mri you'd suggest pushing for a scope? An ahaha The airports must love you ahaha.

    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX leland12458

      Posted

      Didn't have to push.  When he saw my pain and the negative imaging, he just scheduled me in.  Done...FOUR TIMES!!!  All worked out great but the result years later was bone-on-bone since all the cartilage was gone plus the arthritis.  Used SynVisc injections (three shots over 15 days, one set lasted almost a year each) for 5-6 years and then moved to Texas where the warmth kept both knees pain free for another 5+.  When the left one started acting up, only a TKR could fix it at age 68 as I was waaaaay past the time for more SynVisc or cortisone.  So far, the right knee has given me zero trouble...hope it stays that way...

    • leland12458
      leland12458 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      How come it took 4 scopes to find anything? My doctor would do 1 and probably never do it again unfortunately.
    • CHICO_MARX
      CHICO_MARX leland12458

      Posted

      The four scopes where two on each knee over a number of years.  One meniscus tear each side and one femoral condyle cartilage ripped off each side.  Four scopes for four separate incidents.  I'd have them done on Fridays (same day surgery), ice and elevate over the weekend and back to work on a Monday with my AirCast "bucket"...  Piece of cake.  Good surgeon.

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