6 years of knee pain, normal MRI, PT never helped, electric-like sensation when fully extending knee
I’ve had knee pain for almost 6 years now and honestly I still don’t know what’s wrong.
I’ve seen 4 of the best doctors in my area. The first doctor said it was knee arthritis/cartilage wear, the second said nothing was wrong, the third said patellar tendonitis, and the fourth again said knee arthritis/cartilage wear.
After every appointment I’d do physical therapy and follow everything they told me, but literally nothing helped.
Over the years I’ve tried everything:
PT, strengthening exercises, massage, mobility work, rest, different rehab approaches… nothing really changed.
Recently I saw a well-known specialist who said the bone near my knee was rotated and slightly pushed forward. He adjusted it back with his hands and I’m currently doing PT with them, but still no improvement.
My MRI is mostly normal except for mild Hoffa fat pad edema and a tiny Baker’s cyst. No ligament or meniscus tears.
The weirdest symptom is that I can’t sleep with my knee fully straight. When I fully extend it while lying down, I get this uncomfortable electric-like sensation/flash in the knee that really bothers me, and I have to bend it again to feel comfortable. Sitting for long periods also hurts and I always feel like I need to move my knee.
Walking pain is usually mild, but the discomfort is always there.
At this point I honestly don’t know if this is:
- Hoffa fat pad impingement
- Patellar tracking issue
- Nerve irritation around the knee
- Or something completely different
I’m seeing a neuromuscular neurologist soon, but I wanted to ask if anyone here has experienced something similar.