Hi lwashington,   I don't have arthritis, but I know how people have described it and what the information on our site says.   The most common symptom of osteoarthritis in any joint is pain that worsens during activity and gets better during rest. As the disease advances, the pain may occur even when the joint is at rest. Pain is generally described as aching, stiffness, and loss of mobility. The pain may behave like a roller coaster, with bad spells followed by periods of relative relief. Pain seems to increase in humid weather. Some people experience muscle spasm and contractions in the tendons. Sometimes, it even makes noise, like a crackling sound, especially in an arthritic knee joint.   Young people like yourself are getting arthritis and even having joint replacement more and more. Usually, their osteoarthritis begins because of an injury, which sounds like that's what happened to you.   I'm sorry that your doctor said there's nothing more to do. I'm sure that's not true. Have you gotten a second opinion? What other treatments have you tried besides the NSAIDs?