I know this is difficult to diagnose - it's troublesome in person also. I have intermittent sharp pain in the front outer side of my left knee that feels like someone took a hammer to the funny bone. Happens when I'm walking, particularly when taking a left bend, but sometimes I can run and play tennis with no issues.
It's usually a case of shake it off, and resume activity after it settles. But once it locked up during the shakeoff and felt like a nerve was being pinched between the bones - close eyes rolling on the floor kind of pain, unable to carry the foreleg to straighten or bend further. This subsided after about 30 mins of stillness and carefully straightening the knee while applying lateral pressure to the kneecap. I was then able to wrap it up and call an Ortho.
It's basically killed any momentum for my fitness regimen, and I'm dreading the next episode.
MRI scan shows severe cartilege and kneecap wear, and a couple of loose bodies which we suspect may be getting lodged in sensitive areas, triggering the episode. Ortho plans to keyhole out the loose bodies, inject lubricating gel and recommends cartilege repair and stem cells on the site.
Anyone have experience with something similar? I'm ok with the keyhole and gel, but the repair job would put me on crutches for a month, only returning to athletic activity in 6 months, which I'm not keen on.
Any opinions/ advice?
I haven't had the exact problem you're describing but I have torn my meniscus playing soccer, which leads to similar problems. I would strongly recommend against taking shortcuts during treatment. I found it to be a recurring problem when I was initially trying to get back to playing and to be honest I can still have little lock-ups even today (three years later) if I am not careful. A professional soccer player at my local club was out for fourteen months with a recurring meniscus injury - he re-tore it twice just straight line running during his recovery and ended up needing three surgeries in total. Knee cartilage injuries shouldn't be underestimated just because they're not the dreaded ACL tear. Often the long-term recovery can be more complicated than a ligament tear.
I recommend taking the recovery slow and easy and working with a physio to build strength around the knee and hips (hip strength will improve your stability and reduce load on the knee). You will lose muscle mass during the recovery period, leaving the knee exposed to re-injury. Personally I chose to give up on returning to soccer due to the potential risk involved and transitioned into long-distance running instead, but it sounds like you're not doing anything that extreme so hopefully you won't experience any long-term restrictions following surgery and rehab.
This is a good take. I'm not into unnecessary surgery, and see the cartilage repair as a longer term prospect. Will consider my options, thanks!