Knee pain / 'Loose' Knee Joint?!

Knee pain / 'Loose' Knee Joint?

Okay, so for the last, say, year and a half to a year, I've been having problems with my left knee. Occasionally, while walking, my knee joint somewhat feels as if it's 'shifting,' or becoming 'loose.' There's no pain to speak of, and many times, I can just crouch, or kick my knee up, and with a swift 'pop,' the loose sensation goes away. However, there are times that no matter what I do, the loose sensation just won't go away, and it interferes with things such as exercising, as if I keep on going without sitting down, it actually DOES start to hurt a little. What can this be? I know sometimes a loose joint needs popping, but when it's consistantly, is this normal? Also, yesterday while at a friend's house, my right knee started to hurt. This is the first time it ever felt like this, and while the pain is better, it's still carrying on from yesterday. Could this pain be caused by kneeling, or strain on the knee? Is it likely to be arthritis if I've never had signs of this before?

girls your age are prone to have a condition known as patellofemoral syndrome...which is a poorly tracking knee cap. I would recommend that if your knees bother you then you should see an orthopedic doctor and get a referral for physical therapy. The therapy can help strengthen your leg muscles to take the stress off of your knees some and also help to get the tracking of your knee cap back in order.