socketwrencher posted:

Have you had an MRI? I think it's advisable.

I've had it twice on my left knee, 3 years apart, both times to clean up torn and frayed bits of meniscus. The first couple days after surgery were rough because Vicodin makes me nauseous, so I was popping Ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which weren't very effective.

The first time helped a lot as there was apparently a lot to cut away. The second time, not so much; the torn bit that showed up on the MRI was removed but the doc said it wasn't as bad as he was expecting; after recovery, I still had the same soreness after moderate (1 hour of tennis or basketball) exercise.

What did help was talking with the nurse practitioner I met after a physical therapy session. While the orthopedists were basically saying my choices were "lifestyle modification"- i.e. if it hurts when you exercise, stop exercising- or knee replacement, the NP said she had a similar issue and went on a serious weight loss and strength training program. I dropped 20 pounds, changed my diet and do a lot of stretching, yoga and weight lifting. It's made a big difference and I no longer have pain after longer workouts.