Hi - would love some advice please!

[shortbird]

Hi there!

I fell down the stairs at the beginning of september and hit my kneecap on one of the metal steps.

It was agony at first - I felt sick with the pain.

Last Friday I finally decided to see the Dr, as the kneecap is still painful, and i have a lump on the kneecap.

The Dr said that there was "something going on" and has referred me for an xray. On the form she has put "? foreign body L patella"

Does anyone know what this may mean?

Should i get the xray done ASAP?

What could the lump on my kneecap be?

Thanks in advance!

Worried of London   

[luckygrandma6]

I'm no knee doctor and you definately should get the x-ray as soon as possible, but my educated guess would be that you chipped your kneecap and could have a bone fragment that has come loose. This could account for the lump.

[MD-F]

Hi

I hope as I write the pain has subsided some what, I agree with "luckygrandma6" get the x-ray done asap. It sounds like you may have chipped a bone/patella which would account for the pain, and odd lump.

Take regular pain medication, use an ice pack and rest it as much as possible, I know it's hard, but try not to worry too much. There is nothing you can do until you get the x-ray done.

Good luck

MD-F

[digginit]

If you fractured your kneecap when you fell, the lump is probably just new bone growth -- callus formation.  A callus forms on the bone to repair the fracture, and over time you usually re-absorb most of the excess growth.  It's been 2 months.  Worth getting an x-ray, imho, to check it out at your convenience....wouldn't worry about doing it STAT or anything as long as you're walking and your knee is functioning.

~dig

[shortbird]

Hi, thanks for the replies   

I had the xray done today - as i was referred by my GP i will have to wait for the results.

Knee has been painful today, but not too bad. I'm taking Ibuprofen mostly, but have diclofenac for when the pain is bad, and Tramadol for when it's worse than bad!

Would it be possible to have had a fracture and still be able to walk? I thought that if it was fractured it would have been much worse.......

[bavage]

You could have chipped the kneecap, explaining the pain. The lump could be anything from a bone spur to a foreign body.

Pay close attention to the pain levels and the ability to perform as you always have.

DO NOT PANIC !!

Let the doctors do their jobs.