Grinding/popping feeling in knee after wearing a store-bought brace for a couple of days?

I've had very weak knees for the last few months, with radiating pain under the knee cap (in a vertical line, starting above and going underneath) particularly when going down stairs. I recently put a LOT of force on it and it got so bad that I couldn't walk without my knee constantly giving out and severe pain.



I have no health insurance, so I resorted to purchasing a knee support brace from Walmart. It has two thick velcroe straps above and below the knee, a round hole over the center of the knee, strong vertical support along the sides of the knee and padding above and below the knee. It isn't very thick but it is supportive and helps keep my leg fairly straight.



The problem now is that after about to days of wearing it whenever walking (which is about a mile a day) when I take it off I notice my kneecap feels out of place slightly. When I put weight on it or straighten it, it feels like the inner side of it is rubbing or grinding (like I imagine the feeling of cartiladge rubbing) and it's very uncomfortable.



There is still a lot of pain when weight is put on my knee while bent, despite anti-inflammatories and cold gel-packs most of the day. Should I be concerned or is it likely to heal soon?



And furthermore, what is the normal time period for something like this to heal well enough to use it during heavy athletics? I walk a lot and play an arcade game called Dance Dance Revolution, which requires stepping/stomping on large arrow buttons, but very quickly, rapidly, and repeatedly. I have never had a problem with my knee until recently but am worried that I may have to stop playing permanently if it doesn't get completely better.Grinding/popping feeling in knee after wearing a store-bought brace for a couple of days?
i have the exact same thing

the pain behind your knee and everything and its called

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondromala鈥?/a> (also called runners knee)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patellar_te鈥?/a> (and jumpers knee)

and i hurt my knee about 7 months ago and when i hurt it i would walk around school and it would just randomly give out and still when i get up to walk it pops and hurts, and when i have cheerleading practice and wear my brace it really hurts

i went back to the sports med. doctor and he said it would keep hurting till i just leave it to heal for a while, and stop the sports

you can email me if you want toGrinding/popping feeling in knee after wearing a store-bought brace for a couple of days?
hate to say but there could honestly be a million %26amp; one things wrong with the knee;; %26amp; a brace should really only be used if ya know what the problem is;; yeah, it gives you support, so you feel some sense of relief;; but it sounds like YOUR kneecap is not meant to travel the normal path of the brace @ this time;; %26amp; for what reason, I do not know (could be a million);; you need to perform strengthening ex's to your knee (pain-free);; %26amp; your "dance revolution" COULD have caused the problems;; you really need a diagnosis to treat this condition;; just cuz it's a knee does not make it a "one-joint-fits-all" kind of rehabbing.. good luck, but time to talk to a doc, cuz it's going on a year now (shouldn't have even waited a month)...