I'm feeling insane over some musculoskeletal issues I've had over the last five years and wanted some other perspectives and advice on how to advocate for myself.

I started skateboarding at 22yo and quickly developed Achilles tendonitis. I was walking with a limp until I saw a PT and podiatrist. Over the next couple years I did a few rounds of PT and followed my Drs advice to exercise as long as I don't feel pain. Well I don't feel pain when my body is warmed up so I continued skating and my issues got worse. I got told at one point that I had a bone spur, then plantar fasciitis, then tarsal tunnel syndrome, then quad tendinitis, and also that a ligament in my ankle was stretched so thin that my body stopped trying to heal and so it's permanently damaged.

Over the last year, I saw a sports orthopedic doctor and tried explaining to her that after about 4ish years of treatments I still can't run, play tennis or skate comfortably, and cannot walk without pain, and my condition is only worsening. I also told her that I have nerve damage in my knee from a fall and if there was anything I could do to fix the sensation. She diagnosed me with patellar tendonitis after I specified that it is not tendon pain, it is nerve damage from an impact. The doctor recommended PT so I did that recently, but no real change for any of the foot/leg issues. I find that when I do PT exercises at home it causes flare ups more then it helps, so I decided to limit movement as much as possible and things were okay for a while. I was in pain, but it was manageable.

But now I'm freaking out bc a few weeks ago when I woke up at night to pee I started to have this pain on the top of my right foot and in my toes that feels like a constant cramp, like the bones are fragile and might snap. It makes me walk carefully with sort of a limp. It would subside after a few hours, but now the pain is staying with me all day. When I'm wearing shoes I can walk, but at home I am limping around.

So to recap I am 27yo now and have near constant pain in my right knee and foot and I am losing my ability to walk. I feel like that's pretty serious, but don't feel like health professionals take that seriously. Maybe the way that I look or the fact that it doesn't look like I'm in pain is part of it? Like I've spent 1,000s of dollars on PT and it's not helping and now that I'm on my own financially I definitely can't afford to keep spending in hopes that something will work, but also I think that at this rate I will not be able to walk by the time I'm 40 and don't know what to do, or what to advocate for with doctors. I was never told that this outcome was a possibility or how serious this could be and actually was never given a definitive, comprehensive diagnosis that I feel fits my symptoms.

Any advice is appreciated!