I've been dancing for about 3 years and last year I found out I had a "disease" (if you even want to call it that) that many athletes get, especially around my age (14 yrs). I'm not going to even try to spell it but it sounds like "osh-good slaughters" disease. It's when your main thigh muscle gets to be really strong and froms a tendon ehich then attaches to right below the knee. What causes the pain is when the tendon pulls upward and actually pulls part of the bone away from the rest of the knee. I was told by my doctor that it would eventually go away by the time I was an adult, and that I should keep dancing just as long as I was careful. Well, it hasn't gotten better. Right now I'm dancing every day, for long periods of time, especialy for my age. By 9:30 at night, after 4 other classes in that same day, my knees are really really inflamed it hurts to walk. This is what I go through every night. I've tried everything: ice, heat, tons of Ibuprofen, and a bunch of other stuff my dance instructors, choreographers and friends have told me to try. None of them have really helped. The Advil helps sometimes but I'm concerned about liver and kidney problems later. Anyway, I was hoping for some advice. I'm willing to try anything.Thanks again,-David [/i]