to make it worth seeing a doctor?

I have moderate pain in both knees (above the kneecap). as far as i can tell, there's no visible swelling (but if there is minor swelling, it's in both knees so it's hard to compare). the pain is most noticeable when I squat or take stairs (strangely, going downstairs often hurts more than going upstairs). it used to be that I hardly noticed it if I was sitting still, but it seems more constant now.

ice helps a bit, but only briefly.

it's not preventing me from walking to work or doing things I need to, but it's making it tougher to get motivated to stuff around the house, and standing for a long time at work is tough at times. I feel like I'm being really whiny about it though, that it's not that bad and that I should just suck it up

the thing is, my doctor has a way of making me feel like i'm always overreacting. I think he is trying to be reassuring, but my anxiety about making complaints/asking for help makes me interpret it as him blowing me off, if that makes any sense.

Plus, I'm not sure what all can be done. he'll probably just tell me to ice them, and to get more exercise (which... well, let's just say it's hard for me to make that a priority these days.)

Typing this all out, I know I'm being an idiot about this, and it's becoming pretty clear to me that my anxiety is playing a big part in not wanting to go to the doc. So yeah...wwyd, I guess?

I would get it checked out. You can probably get physical therapy, which is it's own special form of torture, but can fix the problem sometimes. My PT said that most knee problems in women are actually a result of weak hips or ankles, and man did she strengthen mine


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Go to the doc. There may be a PT exercise you can do that will help, or a brace that will help. (The knee brace that helped the problem I had for a while looked like this: http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tec-Athlet.../dp/B004AOGA56 -- ymmv.)

It's possible you could just go straight to a PT. I've never done that.

I think yoiu definitely need a nice massage.

i have a massage appt at the end of the month, and I will definitely talk to her about this.

hmm, i wonder if she could refer me to a pt...

Get X-rays first so you know what you're dealing with. A pt will take it from there. Don't get a brace until you know what it is, my pt recommends against them unless it's directly related to what the problem is. It may help short term but could weaken the knee in some cases.


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Are your hips tight? Barring injury, most of my clients who experience knee pain have hip problems (some have plantar fasciitis).

my hips are pretty tight, and i have a regular/recurring pain in my right SI joint. my MT does a lot of work on my psoas muscles (which i didn't even know existed before I started seeing her ) I had a lot of foot-arch pain last year, (not sure if it was plantar fasciitis or not) and now I wear orthotics which help a lot.

god I'm a mess

Foot/arch pain is usually (IME, anyway) a result of plantar fasciitis. MT is fabulous for releasing myofascial tension and deep muscle work in problem areas, but it should be complemented with a good, balanced exercise plan. I'm no internet doctor, but from what you describe, I wouldn't suggest PT because I think the benefits would be short term, and it's overkill. I'd be happy to send you some info and links, if you like.

that would be awesome. I will def. follow up with my MT, but reading up doesn't hurt