Answer Summary

Members connected over the shared and often frightening experience of their knees suddenly giving out while walking, with many describing how... Read more

Members connected over the shared and often frightening experience of their knees suddenly giving out while walking, with many describing how this has forced them to avoid stairs, use elevators, hold handrails constantly, or rely on walking sticks and shopping carts for support. Several members shared that the unpredictability of knee instability happens without warning, especially on uneven ground or when walking slowly, and some have experienced painful falls or worry about eventually needing a wheelchair. A recurring theme was uncertainty about whether weak knees stem from fibromyalgia alone or overlapping conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, weight gain, or cartilage damage, with one member finding relief only after knee replacement surgery revealed how severe the joint deterioration had been beneath the constant fibro pain.