26 year old male with chronic pain/severe knee injury. Need Advice!

[Shamby66]

Hello, my name is Shawn, i am 26 years old. I have been in the Coast Guard now for 7 years, and my job included driving boats, search and rescue, and maratime law enforcement. I had a job related injury to my medial muniscus about 3 years ago. Over the past 3 years i have had 3 surgeries. They ended up doing a complete removal of my medial muniscus and because of it i have no cartalage between my 2 joints. Also due to the operations i have severe osteoarthritis. Basically what i am trying to get advice for, is that I feel like im stuck between a rock and a hard place. If i would have known that i was going to have so many issues with my knee, i would have never had the first surgery. The Coast Guard is currently trying to kick me out of the service because of it. I deal with pain on a daily basis, and its chronic pain. They currently treat me with these gel shots that are supposed to lubricate the knee and give me support, but because my joints rub together and the osteoarthritis is severe, it gives me no relief at all. I had to switch jobs in the coast guard to a desk job, because i couldnt do my duties as a boat driver any more, and im fighting to stay in, because i have given my life to the service for so long. The last doctor that i saw told me that that it was the worst osteoarthitis that he has seen in a patient my age, and that i would need a knee replacement, but that i am too young for one, and that there is no treatment for me. I am tired of living in pain. I substained a injury saving peoples lives, and with all the technology i have been turned away from 3 doctors. I have to take pain killers just to get by, and half the time my doctor now wont give them to me when i need them. I dont want to have to depend on them, but they say theres nothing else they can do for me. So if there is no treatment for me, and i have chronic pain, how am i supposed to deal with it. I cant even do things that i enjoy with my family without having to take something for pain. I look almost everyday to see if there is anyone closely to my age that has the same problem, so if there is any advice that can be given that would be greatly appreciated. Its funny they have all this technology and they cant fix my problem. I just want to be able to live a normal life again, and i feel like ther is no where to turn. My doctor wont give me what i need, and tells me theres nothing he can do for me. I would also like to add that i have tried everything, susch as braces, therapy, and nothing helped. Thanks for your time

[touralie]

Hey Shamby,

your right mate - a rock and a hard place. I thought Id throw my 2 cents in and wish you the best of luck.

You cant change your knee, you have tried therapy etc and nothing has worked. A suggestion could be to try a chiro/physio/osteo/rehab physio etc to assess your hips and a podiatrist to check out your feet.

You may be able to alter biomechanics or minimize harm to the knee if these need recitification. We know we cant fix your knee but some adjustments above and below the injured area may assist.

just a thought.... good luck.

[Heidi]

Hi

Touralie is right that there may be contributing factors coming from the hip or foot. Sports injury therapists (be it physio, chiro or otherwise) are always told to check the joints above and below when assessing.
As an example, if the hip abductors (such as gluteus medius) are weak then they do not hold the knee in an abducted position and instead the knee falls inwards. This, in turn, puts pressure on the knee - especially the medial aspect). This is only an example, I am not saying this is what is happening with your knee!
The same can happen at the foot. If you overpronate (foot rolls inwards when walking), or have fallen arches, this puts a medial rotational force on the ankle, which translates up the lower leg to the knee. So with this in veiw it is well worth getting a biomechanical assessment to see if this may be contributing.

I know you say you have tried braces, but what kind have you tried? Hinged ones will have the most support to help you get on with your day, whilst still enabling you to bend it fully to walk comfortably. Definatly worth a try if you haven't already.

I hope some of this is helpful,
good luck!

[CM Scottie]

If you are having pain when running, squatting and going up and down stairs you may be suffering from patellofemoral syndrome. I am a runner and had to quit because of the pain until I found a orthosis/brace the helped. What the orthosis/brace does is help to restore the natural alignment of the upper and lower leg. Once the upper and lower leg are in alignment the patella can track correctly in the femoral groove. The orthosis/brace also helps to retrain and strengthen the muscles of the knee and stops the pain. The University of Michigan is currently doing a study regarding how and why this orthosis retrains the muscles of the knee. Also, the Department of Defense is fast tracking it to become standard issue for the military.

The orthosis/brace was designed based on a physical therapy exercise called the modified Mulligan mobilization with movement glide. It is easy to do on yourself and if it works the orthosis/brace will work for you.

Try to do the Mulligan mobilization with movement glide on yourself. There are two types of the orthosis/brace; an "A" and "B". The movement will let you know if the orthosis/brace works for you and which type you need. Sit down and do the following:

Place one hand about 2-3 inches above your knee on the side.

Place the other hand about 2-3 inches below your knee.

Press both hands toward the center of the knee.

Bend your knee up and down.

Get up and walk around and you should notice a difference. (The best test is to go up and downstairs.)

If this helps then the orthosis brace will work for you. If not try doing the same thing again placing your hands in the opposite positions. If this works then the orthosis/brace is for you.

The best way to make sure you are ordering the correct type is if you right hand is on your thigh during the Mulligan maneuver then you need an "A". If your left hand is on your thigh then you need a "B".

If you would like more information on the orthosis/brace go to the website: http://www,inthegroovebrace.com. The website is very informative and there is a sizing and fitting video.

I hope the In the Groove orthosis/brace will work for you like it has for me.