Cyanide

Doc #2 chiming in here. While a second opinion may be of some value, physio could very well be the key. I have found that alot of people with knee problems (me as well, torn ACL, torn MCL plus multiple other issues now) have a tendency to collect them. This may very well be due to the deconditioning that will commonly follow a knee injury. Next thing you know, your walking differently, weights get redistributed and other issues start to develop. One I have found very prominent in these situations is Patellar Femoral Pain Syndrome (also known by probably a half dozen other names such as patellar chondromalacia etc, see Tobii3's post for more of them). Some deconditioning of the muscles, some slight misalignment of the weight bearing surfaces in the joint (many people's foot arches aren't ideal) and next thing you know you get the knee cap riding slightly out of its idea track, causing it to wear on the cartillage like an unbalanced tire might.

Two other things to consider:
1) Not all knee "problems" have satisfactory solutions to them. Sometimes a surgeon who doesn't want to cut you may be your "best friend"

2) Not all knee "problems"/pain actually indicate a significant worsening of the knee's health. I have yet to see someone truly disabled by PFPS (the kneecap thing). Many people find they can cope better with the whole situation once they know that the activities they love won't actually ruin their knees, just hurt alot; many are able to get back to normal activity.

But, ya, get more advice from a medical professional face-to-face (not over the internet...as I can't see/feel your knees I can't truly tell you I know what is going on). Talk to a physiotherapist and ask someone to assess your feet as well, if it hasn't been done adequately yet. For my PFPS I found a good set of orthotics did me a wonder. Lastly, if orthotics come into play for you; I prefer FIRM generic orthotic inserts, in all shoes...and (if they help you) when the symptoms start to return it means the inserts are worn out. Time to rotate them down to a less used pair of footwear. That's why I like generics, easier to replace. Just like running shoes, which are usually good for about 500 miles, orthotics also have a lifespan (for me its also about 500 miles). Sometimes new inserts rejuvenates the shoes enough that you may be able to save money through not replacing shoes as much.

But I will stop before I ramble too much more.

Hey MASH....good to see another doc here...what's your specialty (family medicine here).

Cheers

Cyanide