Arthritic knee unexpectedly got better?

[Foffer]

My right knee has had an arthroscopy ten years ago to correct cartilage problem. The surgeon noted grade 3 arthritus over about 75% of the joint. Over the last five years the knee has been getting more and more painful and over the last year it has caused me to limit the amount of use so that I would not want to walk more than about 200m at a time.

About two months ago I twisted it whilst on a ladder (!!!) and experienced severe pain on the outside of the joint and often could not fully straighten it. Following a visit to my local minor injury hospital and GP, I kept the leg in a splint during the day whilst waiting to see a specialist. After about a week it slowly started getting better. Then, after about six weeks the knee is now better than it has been for years! It is still slightly painful but it doesn't limit anything I do now. My daily exercise (during the Coronavirus lockdown) is a walk of about two miles without undue pain. It has not been seen by a specialist.

I wonder what has happened? I guess it was displaced cartilage which may have been causing irritation for years, then it moved getting trapped in the joint stopping full movement, then what happened? Maybe it has moved to somehwere where it isn't causing any problem now.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has heard of this sort of thing before.

[vickster]

The amount of damage to the articular cartilage, ie osteoarthritis (which has no nerve endings itself) does not necessarily correspond to pain or lack of.
If you are exercising more, the joint may be better lubricated, inflammation may have decreased, the damage may not have impacted the bone below the cartilage on weight bearing areas and so on. Arthritis is a condition that can improve at times and deteriorate at others

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/ar ... hanges-are

The twisting and intermittent locking you describe may have been down to a meniscus cartilage injury, rather than the articular arthritis (arthritis and degenerative meniscus often go hand in hand). The trapping of the meniscus may have resolved itself with movement.

You'll probably only really know what's going on via an MRI

There are good arthritis and meniscus primers in the learning portfolio link above

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/le ... io#Primers

If it swells, use ice and rest

[Foffer]

The amount of damage to the articular cartilage, ie osteoarthritis (which has no nerve endings itself) does not necessarily correspond to pain or lack of.
If you are exercising more, the joint may be better lubricated, inflammation may have decreased, the damage may not have impacted the bone below the cartilage on weight bearing areas and so on. Arthritis is a condition that can improve at times and deteriorate at others

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/ar ... hanges-are

The twisting and intermittent locking you describe may have been down to a meniscus cartilage injury, rather than the articular arthritis (arthritis and degenerative meniscus often go hand in hand). The trapping of the meniscus may have resolved itself with movement.

You'll probably only really know what's going on via an MRI

There are good arthritis and meniscus primers in the learning portfolio link above

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/le ... io#Primers

If it swells, use ice and rest

Thank you very much Vickster, I'll read these articles