Knee instability or knee buckling is a condition in which the knee suddenly seems to give way or collapse. Often, this condition is accompanied by some degree of pain and may be connected with some type of ongoing medical problem, such as arthritis. Fortunately, there are things you can do about knee buckling that help to minimize the pain and also prevent further trauma to the leg as the result of a sudden incident.
One of the first things to do about knee buckling is to identify the underlying reason for the knee weakness. In some cases, the root cause has to do with the condition of the ligaments in the immediate area. If illness or injury has weakened the ligaments, the chances of developing knee problems like buckling are greatly increased. When an underlying issue is the reason for the sudden failure, treating that issue will often decrease the chances of buckling and allow you to get on with your day.
Since arthritis is one of the conditions that can lead to knee problems, taking medication to help ease the pain and stiffness is one of the most effective things you can do about knee buckling. This is particularly true if the form of arthritis that is present is chondrolcalcinosis, also known as false gout. A condition in which excess calcium has built up on the knee cartilage, this can lead to intense inflammation that in turn interferes with the function of the knee joint. Medication can often help ease the inflammation and help the knee to become more stable.
There are situations in which the only thing to do about knee buckling is to undergo surgery. This is true when tests find that loose bodies within the knee joint are interfering with the proper function of the joint. The fragments may be bone spurs that have worked their way loose and are not aggravating the surrounding tissue and ligaments. As the fragments float around the knee joint, they trigger sudden failures of the joint, causing the knee to buckle when walking or even standing.
With surgery, the focus is on removing the fragments from the knee joint and repairing any damage that may have already occurred. The surgeon is also likely to check for signs of weakness in the bones, since this may be a sign of osteoporosis. Information of this type is essential for designing the rehabilitation plan that will be used after the surgery, as well as determining if the patient must take some type of medication to prevent a recurrence of the problem.
While seeking answers on what to do about knee buckling, it is a good idea to keep a cane handy. The cane can be used when the knee buckles to minimize exacerbating the situation by causing additional damage to the knee or legs as a result of a fall. Once the underlying reason for the buckling is identified, there is a good chance that medication can correct the problem and make the use of a cane unnecessary.
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anon180288
Post 9 |
@anon166714: I have the same problem. Sometimes, whenever i walk, my right knee just gives out on me. I also have some painful pullings in the back of my knee cape once in a while and i want to know what it is, although I'm not a person to go to a doctor immediately, so if you've figured it out, let me know or anybody else, for that matter.
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anon171258
Post 8 |
My left knee buckled today and it scared me. I'm taking three different kinds of meds. I'm just wondering if that is causing the problem. |
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anon166714
Post 7 |
Knee buckling doesn't always hurt, and it isn't always caused by an injury. My left knee, in particular, started just randomly going out once in a while around four years ago. It never hurts; it's never had an injury of consequence I can now remember. Also, there's no feeling of anything moving around in there; it just abruptly buckles painlessly. Strangest thing. If I concentrate on my knees as I walk it doesn't do it, but if my mind is elsewhere, it takes me by surprise. |
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anon149743
Post 6 |
I twisted my knee badly in 1996 and wrapped it with an ace bandage. It seemed to get better, then in 2006 it started "buckling" with extreme pain toward the inside of my knee and tibia area. The orthopedist cleaned it out and then it buckled and I was on crutches for four months. Stationary biking six days a week and rooster comb shots (3) seemed to do the trick for four years. Now my knee is buckling again but I have not been biking. Besides a full knee stabilizer brace, does anyone know of another brace that would keep it from buckling? I am back in Physical Therapy and biking once again. |
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anon140917
Post 5 |
My first bout of buckling was a week ago, when i got down from my bed. My left knee buckled and scared me as I braced myself to the bed. After a few flexings, I slowly stood up. Anyway, it's getting fixed in my subconscious mind, telling me to be careful. I am 64 years old and a diabetic also and I experience gouty problems in my the base of my left big toe. |
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yournamehere
Post 4 |
Could you give me some more information about knee buckles treatments? My grandfather has recently started having trouble walking, and we're not sure if it's because of an old knee injury, or whether he's experiencing the pain and buckling because of gout or another condition.
Thankfully he's not experiencing much pain in his knee, but it is scary for him to not know when his legs are going to give out.
We'd really like to avoid any kind of knee arthroscopy or surgical treatment, but it is getting to the point where we're going to have to do something just so he can get around.
Do you have any advice about knee treatments, or maybe some knee exercises that I could do with him to help him get more strength in his knees?
Thank you. |
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Charlie89
Post 3 |
Do you know, I used to have the most random knee buckles when I was younger? I was taking a muscle relaxant to help me sleep, and whenever I would get up in the mornings it was so funny, because my knees would just totally give out the first few times I tried to walk.
The first time it happened I totally wiped out on the floor, but after a few days, I figured out that if I waited for a while, and then slowly started moving my legs to let them "wake up" then I could get up without buckles.
Isn't it so funny how one little malfunctioning part of the body can cause so much trouble? |
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StreamFinder
Post 2 |
You're right, those things can be painful! I have never had any problems with my knees (knock on wood), but my husband has to wear a knee brace when he exercises now to avoid random knee buckles because of chronic knee strain when he was younger.
It's really pretty crazy, because he hasn't been an athlete for years (that's how he got the knee strain), and even after three tries at knee rehabilitation, he still gets knee buckles every once in a while.
The doctors say that there's not really anything they can do about it, that the knee is just too damaged to entirely prepare without a very extensive surgery, so for now, we're just doing our best to avoid the knee buckles.
Anybody else having any problems like this? |
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anon113036
Post 1 |
I am on pain management, and I take a soma and a xanax to sleep. My buckling occurs 99 percent of the time when I rise in the middle of the night. |
