Expert: Dr. Paul Newhart - 3/15/2010

Question
Hey Paul

Nearly two years ago, May 2008, I slipped and fell down some stairs with my left knee folded under me. I was diagnosed with bone bruising in the femoral condyles, more on the medial condyle and with fluid collection in the suprapattelar, infrapatellar and patello-femoral spaces.

It was a painful process of recovery and i was sidelined for nearly 3-4 months. However, I used to be very active at that point with soccer training for 3-4 times a week. However, over the past year and a bit more, my lifestyle has become sedentary and I have put on atleast 15 pounds of weight.

But the real worry is that there is still a dull ache on my left knee especially on my lateral side, along with a general feeling of weakness. At night, I sometimes feel uncomfortable and cant get to sleep until i keep the left foot upraised on a pillow. I feel I have lost a lot of muscle mass in my thighs. And believe it or not, my knee acts up when its raining!

What do you suggest I do now?

Answer
You did not mention whether you had done any therapies to the knee.  I would suggest finding a good chiropractor; one that focuses on sports.  There may have been quite a bit of soft tissue damage that needs to be addressed, as well as a proper rehab program to return the correct function to the knee