Bad knees :(

You would probably be as well to have your knees checked out through your doctor, you could be referred to physiotherapy after having x-rays to establish the extent of any damage. Osteoarthritis is described as the wear and tear arthritis, from over use, there can be other causes of knee pain, and it need not be the end of the world.

I have arthritic knees for 30 years or so and find glucosamine, MSM and an osteoporosis support containg boron and calcium really helpful. I've recently come through a really unpleasant, long lasting flair up (12 months, with three on crutches with knee supports) I discovered reducing foods with added sugar really helped until I found "my" best level of mineral support and activity. I would not wish this on anyone. Unfortunately my doctors were not the best people to see with regard to becoming pain free. (I can't take aspirin related pain relief nor anything containing salicylate fillers or binders. At one stage I discovered pain relief in the form of aspirin/ibuprofen actually caused my pain)

My problems are associated with thyroid hormones. Recently I read arthritis symptoms can pre date recognised thyroid disruption by 10 to 15 years. Finding a doctor who will test all aspects of thyroid/endocrine related hormones is nigh on impossible, particularly when most only test tsh and t4 when t3 is the most active but the Human Growth homone which is also a thyroid hormone is responsible for the strength of ones bones is rearely considered let alone tested. Tsh is establishing the stimulating hormone which says little in itself. t4 is available iodine which needs more minerals and vitamins in order to change into t3. Human Growth Hormone levels are higher in childhood and decrease into adulthood then my significant maturity they may be almost none existent. Each cell requires HGH, bones need this to ensure density is good and for repair after sustaining damage, the bone will automatically smooth itself into as near the normal shape as possible.

You might find it generally helpful to ensure you have a good level of iodine, the daily requirements is apx 150 micron or 1/4 of a teaspoon a year! Its found in milk, along with other essentials for health, its also in fish, eggs as well as dark green veg. Selenium and various vistamins are also valuable to have in your diet, in order to support your thyroid function.

Wishing you all the very best. Do your own reading there are ways to osteoarthritis and its other forms.

I'd first see a doctor to rule out anything major, and then follow up with a sports physio.

So someone who hurt his knee...back...elbow lol.....I usually take vitamin d, and a multivitamin everyday. The thumb rule is if it hurts don't do it...until you can fix the pain. Also I try to do weight training every alternate day to get sufficient time to recover. For legs...I can't do squat anymore ...because of my knee injury, you will need to find alternate excercises that don't hurt like I do inclined walk instead of jogging...and so on

While extra weight does put strain on the knees, I very much doubt a mere 20 pounds is causing your problems.

Do see a doctor and get a referral to a sports physio or other professional. If you are doing lower body strength training, especially squats or the knee extension machine, stop until you've seen the doctor.

What kind of shoes are you wearing at work?

I would doubt it is osteoarthritis at age 28 - I just got diagnosed at 53 and my doctor said that I was young for the amount of damage they saw. I suspect a patella tracking problem. My daughter has this and a brace and physio are the non surgical options.
But you need a MRI to diagnose it. You really should see your doctor. It could be anything and we are just guessing.
Good luck. Bad knees suck.

When at my heaviest weight my knees hurt far more than they do now. My heaviest weight was in my early 30s (I am 46 now) when I was 15-20 lbs overweight. I am currently 5lbs from goal.

I also have pain when walking down stairs (or anything downhill) and was diagnosed years ago with chondromalacia. My physical therapist had me do exercises specifically to strengthen muscles of the inner and outer thighs to help realign my kneecaps. The therapy continues to be very helpful, though I still have pain walking downhill for extended periods of time. There is a nearby volcano I would love to climb again but I am afraid of getting stuck at the top, or having to scoot down on my backside!

I hope you get to the doc and get a proper diagnosis. Sorry to hear you are in pain and hope you find relief soon.

I'll echo that talking to a doctor then sports physio is your best bet.

I've had crappy knees since I was a teenager. After a number of years they got really bad, so when I had a decent job and good insurance I went through this process to get it figured out.

I can keep my knees from really being problematic as long as I keep up with the exercises I was taught, a lot of which is balance work (balance balls, bosu balls, Indo board, etc). If I don't keep up with those things regularly, my knees start to act up as the stabilizing muscles just don't provide the support I need.

No surgery required at this point, and my knees are basically pain free most of the time - IF I keep up with those exercises!

I do NOT do much (only very rare) running/jogging on hard surfaces though, as historically that has been a known problem for my knees, even with the other exercises.

https://youtu.be/IhzI7mzsiQE check out this video for some possible self diagnosing