Hi. I have had my 4th surgery and am awaiting the 5th in March (I also have a posting from november right before surgery 3 of the right knee). I have been a soccer player for fifteen years and not once did I have a problem until I started playing soccer in high school. It was my freshman year 2001 when I torn my PCL and LCL also I had an unusual growth of cartilage that was growing between my knee cap and joint so every time I would walk it would cause it to move and pinch causing a lot of pain and I could hardly walk. It took me about a year and a half to get that fixed in January 2003. I of course went back to playing soccer and re injured my right knee along with my left one. ( I was trying to keep my scholarship) I had surgery done on my left knee in October 2003. So far no significant problems with the left one. I had surgery 2 on my right knee in april 2004. I thought I would be good, about a month after that surgery my knee gave out and I twisted my ankle real badly. I had a walking cast on till july. that when I noticed the pain in my right knee was getting worse and worse. I waited until October to go back and see my surgeon. He after knowing me for almost 4 years sent me to get a second opinion because he did not want to rush back to surgery. I saw him the whole month of november and finally after trying everything besides steroids(because I know there affects and would not recommended it to anyone) he sent me back to my surgeon for surgery. I had surgery number 3 on the right knee this past December 2004. I am working and going to school for my Degree as a Veterinary technician.I went back to work less than a week after surgery (bad idea) i was of course on light duties. I was about 3 weeks later when I went back to my usual routines. Well it was most likely from a dog jumping on me or just the stress of just going back to work and walking on it. see the thing is I was even wearing the brace to help protect my knee. And i still re injured it. And like I mentioned before I had an MRI and it found and more severe deterioration of my knee cap and joint. also the tears of my meniscus. so I have been scheduled for surgery 4 on the right in march so I'll see how it goes. I want the time to just fly by ad it pretty much has already but I just want to get this over with. Anyways, I agree with you any movement in your knee that is not normal is not just to be passed off. I too believe that their is no reason you have to wait almost a year to be released from a doctor , he is hiding something and obviously does not want anyone else to find out about it. That really sucks that you have to get a lawyer involved. It seems like more that he is trying to avoid being sued for malpractice that is why he wont release you. I have wondered at times that my surgeon was not telling me every possible way to avoid re-injuring my knee. well now i know and will make sure that i ask him everything. With this surgery I am expected to be immobilized for about 3-4 weeks. I had my doctors office fax me over an report on my MRI the other day at my work so I could see what on the paper and read it my self. I knew it was bad when he called me and told me the results and then sat up the surgery. I didn't expect so much writing and to find out that there are four different things going on in my knee that will need to be fixed in this next surgery. I am anticipating this one to be the biggest one!