Describing knee/leg pain

In My Humble Opinion
1

Yes, I know You Are Not A Doctor. Neither am I. Yes, I know I Should See A Doctor. When I have my insurance sorted out, I absolutely shall.

MEANWHILE… I am trying to figure out what is going on in my leg. Or even just an effective way to describe it, so that when I do see a doctor, it will make some sense to him or her.

So I will describe it to you guys, to see if it rings bells with anyone.

This pain is not brand new, I’ve had it a number of times in my life going back I don’t know how long, but it has never been as persistent and disabling as it is at the moment.

I can be walking along with no problem, and suddenly, or semi-suddenly (meaning it develops over maybe 15-25 steps) I feel a stiffness in the back of my knee, and a pain that extends from that stiffness to the top of my calf, the bottom of my hamstring, and down into the top of my foot. If I continue to walk it becomes worse and worse with every step.

Usually, if I stop and either sit down and completely relax the leg, or even sometimes if I stand in one position but completely relax the left leg, putting all my weight on the right, the issue resolves when next I step on the left leg. Or at least, mellows out by a really significant margin. But lately it will start right back up again when I’ve gone enough steps.

Sometimes it is there the minute my feet hit the ground, after a long time lying down or sitting.

For the record, I’m extremely overweight (always have been) and I was born with hyperextending joints. Which cause my knees discomfort when I am lying down if my legs are straight out, I am much better with a little something under my knees. I am also pretty certain I have bursitis in my left hip. But as I say, this particular weird stiffness pain is not completely new, it’s just new for it to be so relentless.

So does this ring any bells for anyone? Sound like something you have heard of? Any ideas of what might be going on?

2

Best guess is sciatica.

3

Meniscus tear?

4

I have had a meniscus tear, and it was in that knee, as a matter of fact. That’s not it.

I think I have sciatica as well, but I don’t think this particular array of discomforts is that. The pain that I identify as sciatica is very different. Could still be, of course.

It’s just so very specific, this, and the defining feature is the stiffness. It feels very much as though something is “kinked” in the leg, which is why relaxing it seems to clear it up, at least temporarily, it’s like the kink un-kinks, but with use it kinks up again.

But it’s also really weird the way it connects to the top of my foot, right at the curve from the shin. But then, that does suggest a nerve issue.

My left leg is just a wreck generally, between the bursitis, sciatica and this weirdness. Whatever it is, it sure sucks.

5

Knee pain. It comes in many types. An easy thing to try is a strap that goes below the knee (some go above and below). They keep tendonitis pain at bay just like the arm straps for tennis elbow as it’s called sometimes. Otherwise, you know how it works, see a doctor.

6

It could be incipient arthritis. The occasional pain you are describing could be from your joint bones contacting one another in an area where the cartilege has thinned. That’s why sitting down for a moment or two can somewhat ‘reset’ it. The contact point when you stand back up may have moved just enough to avoid the thin spot.