New here and looking for answers

[amycreid]

New to the board.  Aching knees after exercising (probably due to not warming up or cooling down properly) has escalated to Baker’s cyst forming on back of right knee.  Constantly feels tight I to calf, despite stretching constantly.  Pain continued to outer knee joint.  Felt like IT band issue.  Doc put me on Meloxacam which didn’t help.  Went in for cortisone injection and got better after 3 days, then was rear ended in car.  Now all pain is on the inner right knee.  It’s to the left of the knee cap if I am looking down at it.  Doc says X-rays show mild arthritis that maybe got kicked up from the accident.  The pain, however, is NOT mild.  I can barely put any pressure on it.  I can walk up and down stairs without pain, but walking any distance is extremely painful.  I have requested an MRI, but it hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Any ideas on what this could be?  I was rear ended at a very low rate of speed.  The site is sore to the touch.  I have tried all sorts of exercises to strengthen the knee....even hurts while I sleep. 
Thanks so much if anyone can give me an idea of what’s going on!!

[vickster]

Here’s info about Bakers cysts, causes and treatment

https://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/knee-dictionary/bakers-cyst

Did the specialist do the tests for potential meniscus tear, ligament issues.
How old are you? Meniscus tears are common alongside arthritis, degenerate tears can happen without any particular trauma esp once we get into our 30s and beyond

Hopefully an MRI can identify (although small meniscus tears can be easily missed)

[amycreid]

He manipulated my knee.  Said he didn’t think any ligaments were involved.  From what I’ve read, a torn meniscus would hurt on the stairs and not necessarily when walking.  That’s just the opposite of me.

[vickster]

Could be an arthritis flare, night time pain is also a common feature of an inflamed joint. Maybe there’s a loose body or stuff floating around irritating the joint too
Scan should help.
In the meantime, rest, ice, elevation, pain relief

I’m having surgery in 10 days for a torn meniscus and generally worn joint, my knee doesn’t hurt especially on stairs, but can do walking especially on uneven ground or slopes, and it gets very stiff and achy at night.

Everyone’s symptoms can vary, there’s not really usual or normal especially with more degenerative disease like arthritis. Some people can have a very worn joint and mild or no symptoms really and some very severe pain with limited wear.