Q I’m 35 years old, and have recently been told that the intermittent hip pain that has affected me for a year could be arthritis, and that I should stop running. While I accept that a marathon is out of the question, is it really the end of my

Q Severe osteoarthritis in both knees has forced me to stop running. Some time ago I read about a pioneering operation that was performed on a professional footballer, in which sections of the knee cartilage were removed, regrown in a laboratory, and then replaced in the knee. I...

.Medical investigations These are needed to eliminate other causes. If you’re old or have already suffered injury from contact sports, early osteo-arthritis may show up on an x-ray. Additionally, blood tests can reveal generalised diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis

with the MT. Pressure of any sort over the joint can cause both redness and pain.SignsThe deformation is obvious, and underlying this will be wear and eventual arthritis of the first metatarso-phalangeal (MTP) joint. The space opened out by the splitting

. It is an over-use injury, more noticeable at the end of a run or if you have increased your mileage too quickly. A sudden switch to hill training may bring it on.What else could it be?All the other causes of anterior knee pain may need to be eliminated

of your knee and calf. If this were to ever happen, you would certainly need to see your GP. However, a Baker’s cyst can be secondary to more serious knee problems, like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. So, although it is nothing to worry about

be other influences. Disruption of the ligaments within and outside of your knee, arthritis in its many forms and ankle, shin, thigh and hip injuries may all affect knee movement and produce secondary PFP.Self-treatmentOne factor in knee pain may

UAN: 219 Article type:--Half-moon snap-in cartilages form a buffer in the centre of the knee joint and allow some rotation. These are known as menisci and are placed either medially or laterally.Injury can occur to normal and ageing menisci

) will undoubtedly worsen the pain. Sometimes the irritation gives rise to crepitus, the crackling sensation that occurs with movement.What else could it be?It is necessary to rule out hip arthritis, back and nerve conditions, as well as muscle injuries

there are a huge number of patients at risk for arthritis and they don’t know it, because their X-rays all look good."Dye argues for slowing down our return to sport after injuries and taking much more seriously what it means to have a doctor slice into your