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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Probably we all can offer something different though it sounds much like what both my hubby and i have…apparently torn miniscus…the reason, we’re told, it hurts on and off is that little pieces get in places that hurt and eventually find a place to settle…if it were arthritis or some other types of injuries it would be more constant without the on and off again type effect.
Lots of good info above, esp from aikea808,
I have just began having big knee discomfort myself Ian. I am sorry to learn of your challenge.
I found that putting a pillow behind my knee when sleeping on my back, or between my knees when on my side, helped a lot the next day.
I found that going to my GP made all the difference. Once I had the XRAY instructions in my bag, the knee pain pretty much vanished. Funny mind-body moment 😉
A friend who is a physical therapist suggested seeing a sports medicine specialist, as they focus on soft tissue injuries.
Good luck healing up Ian!
Also, Tokuhon-A patches from Japan (available at Times) helped a lot.
Finally, a friend who went to a knee specialist told me to walk with heel to toes, heel landing first, one foot in front of the other. That helped too.
DON’T stop walking. Yes to what aikea 808 says. The occasional naproxen relieves swelling and pain.
If you have medical insurance, strongly suggest you see a doctor. Knees are tricky things and it could be any number of things: arthritis, ligaments being worn down through age and use, possibly something in the bones…don’t mess around with home remedies, see a professional if you can.
Not being an MD, I can offer no medical advice for your knee pain, however, I will second what Mr. Loomis had to say: forget glucosamine in it’s various forms and combinations. It is a waste of money.