[Mr.Nap]

I had a severe knee injury as a kid but now its getting bad.
How it happened - I was racing a bike and my pedal broke off, my leg got caught on the spindal and it ground my knee all the way around to the bone i had 35 staples under my knee cap by some miicle i kept my leg.
recently i have been getting horrible pain when i walk bend or use it to do anything.
i was wondering what i should take for the pain as tylenol and advil dont help at all wat should i get for this???

[Cats Meow]

You should go see a orthopaedic doctor and get a full exam and find out what can be done, if it's as bad as you say, at best he'll start you out on Lortab (hydrocodone), which should help your pain immensely, but know what the end results are starting with narcotic pain meds, if they're ever used irresponsibly they will cause much more pain then what you're experiencing now, and you will go through withdrawals once you go off of them, and they're worse then you can imagine. You need to be open to the idea of surgery, otherwise he will not treat you for pain mgmt, he may also ask you to try physical therapy, surgery is the last option and the most aggressive approach, but they're surgeons and that's mostly what they like to do, some only. I know pain sucks, if you can, you're really better off not using pain meds, try and think of it like, you have no other choice; it really is better sometimes to take the pain. Knee braces, and using hot/cold pads do help quite a bit.
If you're set on going with pain killers, do not like them too much, it's their nature, it's what they do, if abused they will turn you into a fiend and destroy your life as you know it, they're the best things in the world and at the same time the worst. You're way better off having the surgery before taking meds, take them for a week or two while you recoup, then stop.
I hope this helps, and good luck
Cats

[Robert_325]

I agree with Cats that the pain meds are NOT the way to go longterm. I've had five knee operations due to competetive sports injuries from the past. The pain meds ONLY help mask the pain and do nothing for the problems.

Sounds like the cartilidge in your knee has likely been worn down to nothing. When the kneecap goes through trauma like you describe the cartilidge has probably been torn to pieces. Then bones rub together and little pieces of bone break off, the cartilidge becomes basically shreaded, your knee is left in shambles. It's very painful, been there and understand.

There is a surgical procedure called a "lateral release" that is designed specifically for knee cap problems like this. The orthopaedic surgeon does the procedure arthroscopically. I've had it done to both knees. The surgeon is also likely to try doing synvisc injections into the knee. It's a series of injections in your knee that help your knees rebuild cartilidge that has been destroyed by injury. But most likely you've got a knee that needs to be cleaned up with a scoping process of some kind. After it's been treated the surgeon would have you go through some physical therapy to help with your range of motion. During this process the pain meds are fine. But just taking pain meds for the pain and doing nothing more will NOT likely fly with any legitimate doctor. That is my experience at least.

Let us know how it goes for you. Hope that helps some. Good luck and God bless.