Question

Right knee X ray   Hi doctor I m a teenage girl and I m 16. Recently I ran down a steep hill stumble and fell. I felt my right knee pop and there was pain. I put it of as there was no swelling at first but there was a little bit if swelling the next day  and it healed within four days. Now I would notice that my right knee is unstable like it is giving way, there is pain on the outter side and back of my knee, I would hear/feel a pop and clicking and my knee would feel like its burning and become hot sometimes. I have had an Xray taken and GP had said nothing about it. Is there anything wrong with my right knee and does the Xray look alright? Sorry photo wasn't taken properly.

Answer
Dear Jenny,

I am sorry about the knee injury.  I took a quick look at the one image that you sent to me. There is nothing immediately visibly wrong that I could see, but reading a picture of a partial x-ray study is not optimal.

You need to remember that most knee injuries are NOT seen on x-ray. In other words, you could have ligament or tendon or cartilage damage that is not visualized in an x-ray, and only seen with an MRI. You should have an MRI of the knee done to rule out some of these other types of injuries.

Ask your primary doctor to order an MRI, or find an orthopedic doctor to evaluate the knee and perform the MRI.

Good luck with the injured knee. I hope you get answers soon and that it heals up completely.

Keith Biggs, DC
www.eastmesachiropractor.com