Personally I noticed my PVNS as a bump on my right knee, just under my knee cap. It was on the left side of the front of my knee. It never bothered me as far as pain goes but I knew it was odd. None of the 7 doctors I showed it to seemed to know what it was. They just shrugged and said that if it didn't bother me to just leave it. Then it started to cause problems. I had a blood vessel burst in the calf of my right leg. Then my knee would swell after doing certain activities while taking several weeks to get the swelling to go down. Then I started pulling muscles for no reason in my right leg. Finally the bump started catching my knee so that it became difficult to sit or go down stairs. I then went to my doctor who referred me to the surgeon who finally diagnosed me 4 years ago with PVNS. Since then I have had 2 arthroscopic removals of my PVNS and now am working on scheduling an MRI because I'm getting that catching and popping of the knee again which usually means something is in there that shouldn't be and it's not scar tissue.
I asked others with PVNS what their first symptoms were and here are the symptoms people said they had:
Pain - Dull ongoing pain or sharp shooting pains. And everything in between.
Swelling - Extreme swelling, usually for no apparent reason and seems to take a while to settle.
Popping/Cracking - Sometimes it will also make a grinding sound.
Unstable - Many have said the lesions will cause their joint to dislocate itself over and over.
Burning/Hot - A sensation many have said that when they touch the effected joint it feels hot to the touch.
Limp - Some limps are caused by the instability and some caused by stiffness. Many reasons to limp.
Lump - Like me, some have notice a sizable lump.
Repetitive Injury - Such as spraining an ankle over and over.
Bakers Cyst - This is a common diagnosis with PVNS.
Dogs - Some peoples pets have been able to detect PVNS in their owners.
Heavy - A heavy feeling in a knee, leg, or foot.
Tight - It could feel like a vice or someone grabbing your affected joint, especially while in motion.
Pain in other places - If your knee has PVNS you might have strange pains in the foot.
Spasms - Will they ever stop?
Numbness - This could be because the PVNS has pressed against a nerve.
If you have had other symptoms I would very much like to hear from you. Please leave a comment if you have ever experienced any other symptoms of PVNS.
