I am 21, 5ft 6in and I hurt my knee about a month ago playing football. It was a sudden impact type of injury but it was never swollen just very sore and it still hurts and I can not straighten my leg fully. It is just unstable sometimes and I can t jump. Do you think there is something serious wrong?
Hi there. Thanks for your question at Chat Doctor. It is possible that your symptoms are caused by a mild meniscal tear. Meniscus is a disc like cushion between the two articulating surfaces of your knee joint. Two menisci in each knee work as shock absorbers during bending and twisting movements of your knee. When it is injured this shock absorbing function is lost, and it can get caught or squeezed between the articulating surfaces. This can cause pain on movements like bending, equating, getting up from a chair, twisting movements associated with going up and down stairs. In more severe forms it can be associated with stiffness of knee with inability to bend fully, giving way or popping sensation and more severe pain. If you cannot manage your daily routine without pain, it will be prudent to meet a sport physician and let her/him evaluate your knee. Also pain while going up and down the stairs can suggest some injury to associated ligaments of the knee. Hope this helps. All the best. Regards Chat Doctor.