My knees and I used to be friends.
After all, I made it through the high risk period, back when I played basketball, without scalpel or scar, unlike a lot of my friends.
Perhaps I failed to pay enough attention to my knees, which tend to be overlooked when they are working just fine. Perhaps they were upset by the lack of appreciation. Who knows?
I do know that my left knee started sending me signals about two months ago. Brief twinges of pain. Just every once in a while, OUCH! Then, back to normal. It didn’t seem like something to complain about. On some of our morning walks, that knee would start to ache somewhere along the 3-mile route, and I was glad to make it home. Still, it didn’t demand my full attention.
But in the last couple of weeks, the knee rebelled, perhaps encouraged by the Occupy movements across the country. Soon I could barely put any weight on it at all.
I finally had to skip the walk on a couple of mornings. The knee just hurt too much. A constant dull ache, spiced up with shooting pain at random points from somewhere in or around the knee joint. Going up and down stairs, next to impossible.
Finally, when my sister brought a cane to loan me on Thanksgiving, I knew it was time to admit the problem and look more seriously at it.
No, I haven’t been back for a doctor’s check on it. I did, though, browse through WebMD and a few other sites. The symptoms that best match my experience stem from plain old garden variety arthritis, or so it seems.
So I started doing some exercises suggested to strengthen muscles around the knee, and slowly returning to the morning walk, each day a little farther than the last. As of this morning, I was able to complete about 3/4 of the “normal” route, not quite making it to the end of the beach.
So now knee and I are on speaking terms again, and I’m no longer having fantasies of being immobilized at such a tender age. I do think I’ll survive.
I’m sure that I’m not the only one suffering from newly recalcitrant knees.
Any suggestions from other sufferers would be much appreciated. What works for you?
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Try Move Free and follow the directions
And if you don’t want to go the chemical route an Ace knee thing might work. I’d get the cloth one, cooler here in Hawaii. Get the one with the hole in it and ask the druggist for a tape measure to get the right size.
Ian –
I just got a total knee replacement on my left leg about 3 weeks ago so I can relate. I have worn out knees (sports) and arthritis. My recovery is going well – walking almost normal now.
Regaining lost range of motion is the challenge (physical therapy twice a week for a couple of months to help with that).
The best med I found for knee pain and swelling was indomethicin, but there is a high risk of internal bleeding. Next best for me is 800 mg Ibuprofen “horse pills” (prescription required). Minimal risk and side effects and you can safely take 3 or 4 in a day.
Good luck!
– Kevin
Hope your knee continues to improve, Ian. Take Glucosamine, which is great for joints. Hubby does.
See a doctor- they can sometimes tell through manipulation whether you have any torn ligaments or if i’s just arthritis.
My advice: see your primary care physician and ask him for a referral to a physiatrist/physical medicine specialist.
I have been dealing with a chronic problem involving the tendons in my elbow (commonly called tennis elbow). My physiatrist prescribed a brace to protect the elbow during exercise and a special exercise to stretch the affected tendons.
I continue to use the internet to learn more about how the elbow functions and how to deal with the problem.
Just had a torn meniscus repaired on the 3rd. Hurt on and off for 32 years when I slid in to 2nd base. Get an MRI. Sounds like the same thing I had. 4th day out of surgery I ran on it. First time in 32 years it doesn’t hurt. Good luck.
I’m fortunate that my recent left knee troubles — apparently brought on by a steady, albeit low impact, exercise routine — have left me with occasional discomfort mounting stairs, but nothing like what you’ve experienced. Probably a patellar tendon issue. My almost 88 year-old Dad just had his second knee replacement and he just keeps on trucking, so there are options for you.
As for the horse-choker Ibuprofen pills, I beg to differ with Kevin’s assessment of them as “minimal risk.” All the NSAIDS are incredibly toxic for your liver and should be taken for short durations only.
Try physical therapy. That will probably require an MD visit first.
My first experience with PT was after 2 years of crippling knee pain. I was better after 2 months.
Ah, something I’m familiar with!
I think you’re on the right track especially since it is getting better. Could be osteoarthritis; could be you tweaked it on the beach somewhere & walking on it aggravated it – or you had a touch of gout. Only a doc could really tell you, for sure.
Anyway, my advice (all free of charge):
Watch your weight & diet. Many a knee problem (replacement, etc) can be solved simply by maintaining a healthy weight for the frame you have through regular exercise (plus physical therapy type like you are doing now) & diet.
High carb, low protein diets cause inflammatory action in the body. Some foods are naturally anti-inflammatory, such as omega 3 fatty acids, lean protein (not red meat), fruits & veggies, good old fashioned water, etc . Tons of info online on this. Changing my diet to vegetarian helped a lot with inflammation in my body; staying away from refined sugars & wheat helps even more.
For a time, my knee used to kinda slip out of place after getting whacked in a moped accident. I got a knee brace and that helped stabilize it when I walked. With light PT exercise & NSAIDS, the knee got better in a few weeks.
Walking in loose sand, sometimes my knee has gotten tweaked. Continuing to walk on top of that caused inflammation/pain. So again, those exercises are key to stability; NSAIDS for the pain part.
If it’s not grating (cartilage wear) or popping out of place, that’s a good thing, though the ‘popping’ can be helped with exercise, too (physical therapy type exercises). Specific exercises you might can find online; otherwise, physiatrist or even an osteopath is a good idea.
RE: NSAIDS, pain relief & toxicity, I have had liver disease & will NOT take Tylenol or anything containing acetaminophen, but the occasional Aleve (or naproxen sodium) is fine – and it WORKS. It’s only ‘highly toxic’ if you A) take too much, or B) have chronic liver disease. Otherwise it would have killed me long ago. If I am having a joint issue, be it my knee or osteoarthritic back, hip, etc., 2 Aleve every 24 hours for a day or two usually helps put things back to manageable condition.
Hope it feels better soon… oh & welcome to old age!
Six months from turning 40, I might be younger than others who have posted here, but I do lots of walking myself, getting ready to walk my 8th HNL marathon and I seem to get knee pain when weather conditions occur. They seem to last for either several hours or a couple days and then they are gone for whatever reason.
A family member has had good results with Joint Juice – a pomegranate (sp?) flavored 8 oz drink w glucos . . . (sp?) available in 30-bottle cases @ both Costco and Sam’s for about 16-17 dollars. Try a case worth and see if it helps. Otherwise, the thing that seems to have also worked is an hour a day walk – hard surface, usually on a treadmill @ 24-hr fitness. There was an NPR story a couple of days ago about how exercise works for symptoms such as yours. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11/28/142663907/got-arthritis-exercise-can-help
Latest reports on glucosamine: except for some possible placebo effects here and there, doesn’t work. My orthopedic guy says, “Save your money.” Assuming, as in my case, that it’s arthritis that’s been steadily eroding stuff in there, you might consider periodic injections of a cushioning gell. There are several such available, all very similar. Seemed to help me somewhat for a few years. Time now for a replacement, however.
Hi Ian,
There is some great advice offered here, but I’d like to echo the suggestions that you visit an orthopedic surgeon. You can get examined and have an MRI and know exactly what is going on with your knee and go from there.
Once you know exactly what you are dealing with, you can proceed more sensibly whether with diet and exercise, physical therapy, or surgery.
Take care of yourself, we need you!
Yes, MDs have the tools to diagnose what is going on with your knee. As Kalaheo said, after you find out what is going with your knee, you can go from there.
Rebellious knee, you say?
Have you tried pepper spray?