Hi, I am as of last year experiencing a great deal of sharp pain in both of my knees. (started with my right and a few months later my left knee was experiencing the same pain) when running, going up stairs, and especially jumping. I have been extremely active all of my life (33yrs) and for the most part have been pretty athletic. To give a little perspective I have easily been able to dunk since I was 14 and since about a year ago, I am now barley able to hit the rim. I would say on a very good day my ability to run and jump is about 40-50% of what it once was. To cap it all off every time after physical activity (I.e. Running, jumping) my knees swell almost immediately after (roughly 15-20 min) making it almost impossible to get into a "catchers" position or bend them in general. It seems that some sort of fluid builds in the knee cap area and stays for 5-8 days afterward. They also have audible cracks (in the knee cap) when contracting and straightening the leg. I would like to note that the audible cracks have been going on my entire life or at least as long as I can remember. I know it is probably difficult to answer with out X-rays or a hands-on consultation but in your opinion would this be a degenerative osteoporosis type of thing or something that will require immediate surgery? Thank you for your time,

Sincerely, Josh Howard