This could be happening for many reasons...Weight gain can be a real culprit....You may have done something else inside which caused this...Maybe a cartilage problem, or something else that the doctor will suggest some good exercise to help you...I hear that Yoga is a wonderful exercise for your knees...Talk to your him/her
about this to get some help...I, too, have always have gone with ice...

Good luck,
Caroline

Sounds like it could be one of 2 possibilities either

1. torn meniscus

2. knee cap has moved out of place.

You need to see an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in knees for evaluation. He/she will no doubt order an MRI and then you will find out what is wrong with your knee.

Good luck

Fran

Other than the cartilage problem which I mentioned in my post (torn meniscus) it may also be something like our son had and suffered with for years....He was born with three small pieces of knee cap instead of one...Two of them were surgically removed when he was 18...They were floating freely in his knee and he had grown used to the pain and swelling thinking this was from all the sports he was playing...

Go to a good Orthopedist...They are worth their weight in gold....

Caroline

well i know its not weight gain for sure......and i loooked up torn meniscus and it doesnt seem like its what i have these were the symptoms i found
Knee pain
Swelling of the knee
Tenderness when pressing on the meniscus
Popping or clicking within the knee
Limited motion of the knee joint

which i dont have any of these......any other options?

what everyone said sounded like a good answer. I dont know how envolved you are in sports, but sounds like could maybe be a MCl, or ACL. My friends have messed up there acl, and when it happens your knee will lock in and out of place, and the knee does pop and click, and your knee does swell. I just got back from the doctors today. I had a broken Patella from what everyone thought. I was on crutches for over 2 weeks and seen the doctor today and they took more X-Rays come to find out it was never broke. I was born with 2 peices in my knee, and thats what made it look in the X-rays that it was fractured. Im so happy that it was not broke though. Good luck to everyone, and I still say to look up ACL and see if that could be it, take care.