I first began having swelling problems in my knees when I was 17. With no warning, they just began collecting fluid with no pain, just caused mobility problems. I had no prior knee injuries or pain. I am 22 years old now and I have had a large amount of fluid on my knees every day since I was 17. After about a year of swelling, I started having mild to moderate pain and began seeing a rheumatologist. All the tests came back negative but he diagnosed me with seronegative spondyloarthopathy and "arthritis of unknown cause". He aspirated my knees (750cc total), gave me the cortisone shot and I began taking different NSAIDs, and a chemo-type medication (Methotrexate). The swelling and pain was slightly responsive to the meds in slowing their actual growth, but not responsive enough to keep my knees from eventually becoming enormous. After aspiration, my knees would be back to their normal size the next day. I continued to take the meds for two years to see if it would eventually have an effect. The medicine had no real effect other than make me sick and tired 24/7. After I began having jaundice-like symptoms, I discontinued seeing my rheumatologist and quit taking the meds. The swelling continued to worsen, and x-rays showed that almost all of the cartilage in my knees had deteriorated. I am in severe pain and have busted blood vessels all along the sides of my knees and I occasionally have numbness in my feet from the swelling. The last time I had them aspirated in the E.R., they removed 900cc from my right knee alone. I'm completely miserable but I have hope now. I found a local herbalist who decided to help me treat my problem. I was told by him that the problem was due to my digestive system not being in good condition and since it was the means of getting nutrients, it was not supplying my body with what it needed to repair itself. I began to eat healthier, and I began taking Burdock (for detox), Food Enzymes (digestive support), IF-C (chinese anti-inflammatory), and Glucosamine Chondroitin (rebuild cartilage). The results have been positive so far. The pain is still unbearable, but my knees are starting to get smaller and less feverish. Overall I feel alot better in general. One day I was actually able to kneel and put pressure on my knees for the first time since I was 17 without too much pain. And best of all, the herbs I've been taking have caused no negative side effects what so ever unlike my meds. My herbalist is happy with the results I'm having and said that I should be relieved of some of my pain when more of the damage is repaired. It appears that I have found a way to treat my problem easily and naturally. My doc recommended double knee replacement. I definetely like my herbalist's method a lot better. I would strongly recommend this form of therapy to anyone. I've been tested over and over and have been to many different doctors (none could help me). This is actually helping.

I have had surgery on both my knees. My left knee was done in 2001, and the other was done in 2005. On my left knee the doctor told me that I had a torn meniscus. On my right knee they couldn't see what was going on, so they told me the only solution would be to go through surgery. Well it had only been 6 months when my right knee started swelling again. I went back they took out the fluid and injected my knee with cortisone. Then 1 month later again, then my left knee swelled up a week after that. What's up with that! No doctor can tell me what I have or why it's happening. I've been tested for gout, arthritis, and my results come out negative. I don't know what to do anymore. I take Ibuprofen, and I started taking Glucocerin, it's to rebuild cartilage. Well anyway, can someone please advise if something else has worked for you?

Hello! I came looking for clues about my own right-knee swelling, which has escalated during the past year from intermittent, activity-aggravated, and responsive-to-ice-and-Ibuprofin...to chronic, all-day, nearly-unrelated-to-activity-or-rest, and unresponsive to self-care. As I read others' stories--many of you are suffering much more, and at a younger age, than I am--and my heart goes out to each one of you!! So--before I ask my questions, I offer these possibilities: In your multiple medical consultations, have you been tested for gout, high potassium, high sodium (in blood or urine), or any other weakeness of liver, kidneys, or gall bladder that could lead to fluid unrelated to your neuromuscular system being discharged into your knee(s)? Has the actual fluid from the knee been biopsied for any suspicious cells or elements? Have you all been tested for Lyme disease? And you've been tested for the many rare auto-immune disorders (disorders in which the body's immune system attacks one or more of its own tissues)--as well as the more common auto-immune conditions such as RA, and lupus? How about celiac disease (extreme allergy to wheat & any other source of gluten), which is notoriously inflammatory for anyone who has it? And you have checked out everything you can on the chiropractic level--spinal alignment, evenness of hips? And made sure that you are using well-fitted orthotics, and if you have a one-leg-longer issue that is not correctable by good spinal adjustment/alignment, you have tried a lift to even your legs? Finally, many people with mysterious inflammatory ailments have either common, unsuspected allergies, or unusual, idiosyncratic ones. These could be food elements, or even environmental toxins. These are often best diagnosed by a practitioner of one of kinesiology systems (there are hundreds) that specializes in allergy testing. The international website for practitioners of most of the higher-integrity types of kinesiology was IASK.com (or maybe .org) a few years ago; I did not check before starting this email. Find a kinesiology practitioner who uses "muscle testing" (it does NOT hurt; I promise you!) as a way for your body to tell the kinesiologist what foods or supplements it wants, and which ones may be hurting or stressing your body. Before making an appointment that will cost you money, do a telephone or email interview and make sure this practitioner respects and includes a "hair test for hydration" for BOTH you as the client and him/her as the practitioner. This is essential, because the extremely common condition of "subclinical dehydration"--which can exist without a HINT of thirst--can taint the results of muscle testing. Your muscle tests could end up conveying the practitioner's sensitivies instead of your own! Not every type of kinesiology respects this detail, but I have seen (in workshop after workshop) that results are not accurate until both practitioner and client have taken in enough plain water for each to test "clear" on the hair test. This sounds complicated, but takes just a minute or two. Once I had to drink more than a quart of water before I was clear enough to proceed with a session! By the way, some kinesiology practices also include ways of healing allergies, and if you can find a high-integrity practitioner well-trained in this, it is worth trying. A friend studying such a technique, using me as a "practice client," cured my lifelong allergy to walnuts in 3 minutes! Special note to TIM, if it was you who wrote that you are a vegan, who has Crohn's disease: Knowing that every body and its needs are completely unique, I will still share with you that a close friend who had severe Crohn's found that he was healthiest after relinquishing his vegetarianism and adding red meat and dairy back to his diet. Believe it or not, he also discovered that honey and maple syrup triggered flare-ups, and white sugar was benign for his body! It is possible that your body would welcome some form of animal input--at minimum, perhaps some wild-caught salmon for those Omega-3 fatty acids that are both essential to most humans, and also anti-inflammatory. As an inveterate user and experimenter with hundreds of dietary and herbal supplements, I always also keep in mind that no essential nutrient can be supplied to our bodies through a supplement ALONE--because in foods, the nutrient has dozens or even hundreds of companion compounds that synergistically help the essential nutrient work--in ways that we haven't begun to understand, and probably could not duplicate completely even if we DID understand them! My very, very best wishes and prayers to all! And now, two questions: Does anyone know anything about subtle, partial dislocation of the femur? There is lots of discussion on the web about patellar subluxation and disclocation, but my felt sense is that my patella is not the issue. I physically have felt my femer being "loose" at times--and shifting inward or outward behind my kneecap (when my knee was bent and not bearing weight), in a way that caused sudden sharp pain. I have always been able to shake or somehow move my leg so that the femur returned to its proper place--until a moment 4 months ago when I never felt it quite "got back." It was, in retrospect, that same week that my knee swelling became daily, chronic, and unrelated to activity or rest. I had experienced bouts of this chronic-ness before, during the past year--lasting from 2 days to 3 weeks--but now it has gone on steadily for about 4 months--with the degree of pain and swelling getting worse and worse. My gut sense, and physical feeling, is that my femur is just a tiny bit dislocated toward the inside surface of my leg--toward the place where my knees come together, standing--AND slightly "forward"--maybe 20 degrees. My hunch is that this is pressing on muscles and ligaments (they certainly feel sore when gently pressed!), causing fluid to build up (as often in a "balloon" just ABOVE the knee as around the joint itself). Just today, my wonderful chiropractor, who does NOT normally adjust knees, worked on this with me, as she took my experience seriously and thought it could be accurate. I feel some return to a more normally-seated femur, but also lots of potential instability--so we shall see. Thus, question one: Has anyone reading this experienced anything LIKE this? If so, I would be grateful to hear your details, and/or any other source of specific information on possible causes, healing, and prevention. Question 2: Can any of you recommend a type of brace or wrap--or even specific brand and style--to: A) Keep the femur and patella correctly located, even during activity (not strenuous!; I just want to walk comfortably and try returning to my beloved low-impact aerobic/step classes; B) Actually COMPRESS the lower thigh and knee so that they do not swell as much, even if they "want to"? Thank you, thank you!!! Again, blessings and prayers to all, Ariel arielpublic@comcast.net

I dislocated my knee in a fall in my kitchen in Aug. 2004...simple as that. I'm a nurse & was aware immediately of what I'd done. Very painful to say the least. The knee was reduced & put in place & I've been going to Physiotherapy, Message Therapy etc. ever since. However, it is now Feb. 2005 & my knee is still very swollen. MRI has ruled out any fractures or tears. One has to wonder about this being a "life long" consequence/injury. This incident has certainly been life changing for me. Previous to this incident I always enjoyed long vigorous walks (5-10 miles) with my runners. I also loved to dance...I have gained some weight & don't feel great. I'm back at work part time walking with a cane...but I'm not really "me". Any suggestions/comments would be so gratefully appreciated. Thanks, Marianne

My wife’s knee started swelling on-and-off approximately 3 years ago in 2001. Doctors could not find anything wrong with her knees or any blood disorders. She stopped taking her diuretics for a period of time, but this did not help. She stopped drinking beer and wine which seem to solve the problem. She walked 4 miles recently and has not encountered any knee swelling for three months.

A lot of the stories on this page sound eerily familiar. I have had inexplicable swelling in both of my knees, as well as my left elbow and occasionally in other joints, since i was seventeen. I am now nineteen, and have been diagnosed with "mixed connective tissue disorder" and put on hydroxychloroquinine, which really does very little to help. There isn't a lot of pain, usually, but it's embarrassing to not be able to flex my knees as much as other people can, and i hate looking at my own knees in the mirror compared to people with non-swollen knees! The only thing i've found that has helped at all has been steroids--once in the form of an injection and once in pill form, and those cleared everything up for a few days and made me feel wonderful--temporarily. But doctors don't want to give me steroids because they say they have "unwanted side effects"--but i think that any side effects they might have would probably be worth it, to have functional knees and elbows again. I am very fed up with doctors not doing anything to help.

A FEW YEARS AGO MY DAUGHTER, THEN 15,SUDDENLY HAD KNEE DISCOMFORT AND SWELLING. SINCE SHE WAS PLAYING BASKETBALL AT THE TIME IT WAS NOT SURPRISING. WE TOOK HER TO AN ORTHORPEDIC DR. HE X-RAYED THE KNEE AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. HE PRESCRIBED PHYSICAL THERAPY AND ANTI-INFLAMATORY DRUGS. FOR THE NEXT 2 MONTHS THE SWELLING WOULD GO UP AND DOWN. FINALLY AFTER GIVING IT SUFFICENT TIME TO RESPONE TO THE TREATMENT GIVEN, DR. SENT HER FOR AN MRI. HE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING BUT DECIDED TO GO IN ORTHOSCOPICLY AND SEE WHAT HE COULD FIND. HE DID NOT FIND ANY DAMAGE OR TEARS, ETC. JUST A LOT OF RED,INFLAMED TISSUE WHICH HE COMPARED TO RED SHAG CARPETING. HE CLEANED THE KNEE AND DID A BIOPSY OF THE TISSUE AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. HE THEN REFERRED US TO A RHEUMATOLIGIST WHO TESTED HER FOR LYME DISEASE. HER TEST CAME BACK A FALSE/POSITIVE. WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD TREAT HER FOR LYME DISEASE WHICH WAS 6 WEEKS OF ANTIBIOTICS. THE PROBLEM IS GONE AND TO DATE HAS NOT RETURENED. SO FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD CHRONIC SWELLING AND NO EXPLAINATION FROM THEIR ORTHO DR. ASK YOUR MEDICAL DR TO TEST YOU FOR LYME DISEASE. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP SOMEONE.

I would love a knee replacementlol. My knee is having all kinds of ruematic manifestations from hepatitis C. It has to be cured before me knee will heal. I had two sureries and they were no trouble at all. Recovery in todays world is great. they have state of the srt rehab facilities and people know how to rehab a knee. I wouldn't worry too much, it sounds like it will help you in the long run.

I HAVE LYMPHADEMA NOW ; I ALSO NEED A KNEE REPLACEMENT; READING WHAT I HAVE JUST READ SCARES ME TO DEATH ; IF I HAVE THIS NOW WHAT CAN I EXSPECT AFTER MY SURGERY; THE SWELLING IN MY KNEE,S AND LEG,S ARE PRETTY BAD AND PAINFULL; THEY SOME TIMES FEEL LIKE I HAVE A VICE AROUND MY LEGS AND IS SQEEZING THEM REAL HARD;I AM HAVING A HARD TIME WEARING SHOES;YOU WOULD THINK MY DOCTOR WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT DOING THIS FULL KNEE REPLACEMENT;HAS ANY ONE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFOR SERGERY;PLEASE LET ME KNOW THANK YOU SO MUCH VERY WORRIED;MC

Last year I began to experience swelling in my right knee. I thought it was an injury of some type. I went to a sports medicine doctor for hel. they x-rayed my knee and did an MRI. Both showed no structural damage to the knee at all. I was then refered to an arthritis specialit in the same office. I tried several drugs for the treatment of arthritis and all the anti-inflamatory drugs avialable. Nothing helped. I have had 2 surgeries o clean out the senovium and to do tissue biobsy's. Still nothing showed up! I sit here today, barely able to walk because of the pain and swelling in my right knee. I was aving it drained once a week and getting about 60 to 100cc's of fluid each time. Sometimes it was bloody other times it was just cloudy. My white blood cell count is usually over 45,000, although it has been lower at times. Finally we thought we had found the solution. I was diagnosed with hepatitis C and my doctor had heard of cases where people with Hepaitis C had joint swelling. I began treatment for hepatits C. There was an initial change and my knee began to feel better, but shortly after that the swelling and pain returned as bad as ever. I'm not sure what the hell is wrong with me. I do not have arthritis and I do not have an infection. The hep C is gone, but my knee still remains a problem. Like I said, I can hardly walk ad I'm on crutches 1/3 of te time. I am angry at medical science and my doctor. To make matters worse, my insurance company is trying to get out of paying my bills by declaring me in-elidgible for the policy after the fact. I have over 50K in medical bills that are unpaid and a life that has been destroyed because of my lack of mobility. If there's a God, I sure wish he would help me get better! Robert From: Robert F - daisydaisy@comcast.net