I did not fall down or bump my knee or have an object hit it. yet, it has swollen up twice. the second time was severe. lots of bruising under and on the sides. swollen all over. hard to bear any weight. severe pain and discomfort even with it elevated. I saw an orthopedic surgeon 3 days after the ordeal. xrays were great - no fractures. he stated it was jumpers knee and kept asking me if I had hit it. I kept saying no.. I had been working in the garage lifting things and sometimes using a small stool in order to get the item up on the shelf. it had swollen up and I did not feel any pain until 2 hours later at a dinner. he said I did not need a brace and so the next day I did not wear one and I thought it felt better. swelling was down. did a presentation for about an hour with an account, looked down and my right knee cap was higher than my left by about 3 inches! I did not feel pain at all. I merely compressed my knee cap and pushed it back down in place and held it there for a few minutes before I walked out of the building and went home to elevate, ice and bandage it up. the doctor's nurse said his diagnosis code wasn't that serious and didn't require a brace. I beg to differ. please help me understand how I can get the help I need. I am 46, female, active and do not want to ignore this issue. it is serious as this is the 2nd occurrence of swelling this year.