Knee Pain - Havre,MT

This may seem like it's out of left field, but has she had her thyroid checked? Low thyroid can cause the fluid in the joints to reduce, causing a lot of clicking noises and pain. I went through that myself a few years ago, and my doctors could find nothing structurally wrong. Physical therapy didn't help at all. But my knees (ankles, hips) hurt all the time.

Because I had been experiencing many other issues besides the joint pain, I ended up being diagnosed with low thyroid, and when I began taking medication for that, the joint pain cleared up as well. So, it's something to check. It would be fairly unusual for a young person to have thyroid problems, but it does happen.

has she been checked for other issues....such as MS, MD, or any others? A repeat MRI may be in order. & has she tried hydrotherapy? A pool might just help.

Good Luck!

There's phenomenal research that's been going on for over 15 years on anti-inflammation, and some new findings just released, which I think she could try for safe, nutrition-based support of muscles and whatever tissues in there are inflamed. If 2 years worth of these investigations haven't worked, you could look at. I work with a lot of people in sports and nutrition, and knee problems are pretty rampant. My son had terrible problems and got great help from a phys ed expert and coach who also had knee issues. Although the coach and my son had different problems, the same solution worked for both of them (track/field, volleyball), as well as for 2 tennis pros I know. All those sports are tough on the knees, and sometimes old injuries just resist treatments. I'm not surprised about the PT - based on my experience, that often irritates the inflamed tissues, whether or not the MRI shows it. Let me know if you want more info.

PT is only supposed to get you started on the correct exercises and muscles to work, you have to keep up with the work outs forever or the muscles will weaken again, that is true for anyone whether there is a joint problem or not. If she has some form of arthritis, (my son was diagnosed at 2 so it can happen young, I have been suffering since my early teens from it) then she will have to keep up her PT for the rest of her life if she wants lasting results. Keeping active will not only help the muscles, but it will help keep the joint lubricated and help keep away the stiffness and locking that can happen. OTC meds like Aleve can help with inflammation, but taken every day can cause kidney damage (although much slower them Rx antiinflammintories will) so I will only take them daily when I am having a flare up, and then after a few days when the inflammation is under control I stop. There are injections ones can get every few months (I have been getting them for about 5 years now) but they lose effectiveness over time leaving you with only surgical options. You do not want to get to that point (knee replacement) too young if you can help it because it is not forever, the new knees will need replaced every 15 years or so, and each time the rehab it painful and long. She can take glucosamine to help keep the joints better. It has a building effect so she wont notice a big change, but she will experience improvement over several weeks of use. You can also get her a brace (can get good ones from any sports stores) that she can wear when being active during flare ups. But the most important thing at this age is going to be to set up a good PT program and keep it up.