Pain from golf (physical - not mental anguish)

[3 Putts + A Snap Hook]

Cheers, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to doctors but might have to face my fears

For all of your conditions, the likely treatment options will be strengthening exercises (physio etc), anti-inflammatories and rest. The worst thing they might suggest would be to inject the knee with a corticosteroid. Nothing too drastic.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

I had a similar sounding knee issue and it was worn cartilage which i had an op on last November. Rushing to catch a train but will post a bit more info later as the bottom line is you need to go to the Quack and get referred initially for X-rays and then for an MRI scan

[Pleasedwith3putts]

OK, have a bit more time now. The fact that it is both knees suggests it is more likely to be wear and tear related than a specific injury. Cartilage should be a slippery barrier between bones at joints to ensure the bones don't rub on each other and the whole joint works smoothly. Over time that cartilage can wear out and separately it is also possible to develop osteo-arthritis which slowly eats the cartilage. Not at all unusual to have worn cartilage at 37

You mention the pain is at the front of the knee - I presume you mean it feels like it is behind the kneecap. Aside from the main knee joint, the kneecap is also separated by the main knee joint by cartilage and sits in a groove in your thighbone. The three things that can go wrong are to have small bone splinters floating around the joint, wear of the cartilage which roughens the surface producing friction and an actual hole in the cartilage. If you do have worn cartilage, the bone that is rubbing can try to heal the situtaion and can form little bone spurs called Osteophytes which rub

One clue for worn cartilage is if your knee makes a strange crinkling sound if you slowly squat and put pressure through the joint. It will be pretty obvious  and is known as crepitus

GP's IMHO are not good with this sort of thing. In the first instance they refer you for X-ray as that spots bone fragments and looks at spacing around the bones which gives some indication of cartilage content. However, they are not keen on authorising MRI scans which cost a lot more. I had full medical cover and the X-rays gave me a clean bill of health, the MRI scan showed damaged cartilage and the operation showed a hole in the cartilage and osteo-arthritis!

Now I am not a medical expert but from personal experience if you feel that the pain is behind your kneecap and it makes strange noises when you squat, go to the doctor and push for X-rays or better still an MRI scan as that shows all the soft tissues which is far more useful than X-rays plus an MRI scan will also pick up things like scar tissue from old injuries in case the cause is something else

[MisterS3]

I've said this before, but i'd go nowhere near a chiropractor unless very last resort.

Got to a physiotherapist etc. i.e people medically qualified and recognised. Sport scientists etc. My sister is a GP and doing a masters in Sports and Medical Science and she has said it's amazing the changes that have happened are happening in the few years since she qualified.