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Old 07-30-14, 03:37 PM  
sheepla
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Can we talk knee arthritis?

Saw the orthopedic doctor today to go over MRI and X-Ray results for knee pain I've had for the past two months. The doctor said I had severe degeneration and knee arthritis. I just turned 45 (my brother is a year older than me and has already had knee replacement surgery so genetics are not on my side). I have NEVER had knee pain up until now so I'm surprised it is such a sudden onset thing.

I'm a runner. Currently run about 20-25 miles per week (though obviously not the last few weeks) and have run many marathons and half marathons. My doctor was great today because he didn't just automatically say dismissively as many doctors do "no more running." Instead he asked, "how important is running to you?" I made it clear that it was my most important kind of exercise. He suggested, once we get the inflammation down (he gave me a cortisone shot today) to maybe experiment with 2 days a week running but no more. I have to say, the thought depresses me since I'm used to 5-6 days a week running. He seemed pessimistic that I'd even be able to keep that up for long and felt that my distance running days were over.

Not surprisingly, his position was walking is better than running, spinning is better than walking, swimming is better than spinning. I was so freaked out by no running that I didn't even think to ask about any strength training restrictions.

Oh, another reason I really liked this doctor, I said "I understand any extra weight is hard on the knees. If I lose the 20 lbs I need to lose, does that change what I can do?" Again, he didn't just give me a dismissive answer. He said, "You're very tall so even if you lost down to your lowest possible weight, it is still enough weight that it is going to cause problems for the knee and that's not something you can do anything about." So rather than making me feel bad about being a little over weight, for some reason that made me feel better.

Has anyone had any experiences with coping with knee arthritis long term? I have two very active German Shepherds, so exercise options that don't include outdoor time with them are not ideal. Plus, nothing burns calories like running.
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Old 07-30-14, 04:23 PM  
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I'm sorry about your knee. Arthritis is a mean disease. I'm not and never was a runner but step aerobics was my passion, along with the recumbent bike. The dr. took away my step and a few years later, my bike. I know how you feel.

Did he suggest Synvisc or Hyalgan or whatever the hyaluronic acid drug of the day is? It's a series of 3 or 5 injections. Maybe they're down to one shot but I don't know. The cortisone didn't work for me but the injections delayed my knee replacement for about 3 years. It's like giving your knee a hit of WD-40. I don't know if you'd be able to run more often but it might keep you out surgery for awhile. If he doesn't mention it, ask him about it.

Best of luck. Again, sorry you have to go through this.
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Old 07-30-14, 05:11 PM  
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Sorry about your knee. I just wanted to say don't under estimate walking. I'll be 51 next month and although I never ran great distances I did enjoy running and liked to train for 5 & 10k races. I ran a half marathon in 2012. During the half marathon training I had a lot of pain mainly in my hips. Once I did the 1/2 I cut back on running to about 2 or sometimes 3 short HIIT workouts a week without any pain. In January I decided I wanted to lose the weight that had crept up due to a trip to Maui and then the holidays. In addition to my morning workouts (weight training, or HIIT running on the treadmill) I added a daily hour long walk (usually on my lunch hour) and cleaned up my diet and I managed to lose 23lbs at 50-years old (from 147 to 124 lbs at 5'9") I'm still walking and am easily maintaining the weight loss.

I'm now a huge fan of walking. You can't believe how much more you see when you walk plus it is a fantastic mood booster and I have no more hip pain. I look forward to my daily walks.
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Old 07-30-14, 05:33 PM  
gmfreund
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I had a similar diagnosis 4 years ago (at 49) that also seemed to come out of the blue. I am not a runner, so I won't speak to that. In the past four years I have been able to rehab my knees through careful exercising, and I am able to do a decent amount of impact in my workouts. I can jog in place for several minutes with no ill effects, I can do step aerobics, kickboxing, etc.

I cut way back on impact for a long time and relied on TurboFire (great modifier) and Chalene Extreme (of all things). Between the two I was able to slowly work back up. I've also had my knees improve a lot from kettlebells, especially Kettlebell Kickboxing Body Series. My hamstring flexibility improved greatly and my quads weren't being overworked. I think my out-of-balance quad strength was pulling on my knees.

So -- it turned out way better than I anticipated, but it was not instantaneous. I spent at least 6 months doing very little impact, and then increased from there.

Good luck! I hope you're able to run again in the future.

Gwynn
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Old 07-30-14, 06:51 PM  
monterey vidiot
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Sheepla, sorry about your knee. I haven't run since the 1980's; running bothered my knees way back then. But I contradance socially and knee braces are well-known on the dance floor. Last year, icing after exercise and chiropractic manipulations were not enough to control the knee pain. I consulted an ortho who immediately said "no more dancing" and started talking about a cane. Not options! I've had the series of 3 synovisc shots and am usually free from pain. I wear a knee brace, the Mueller Max Knee Strap, when I work out and dance, and use a cold gel pack afterward. Also, the Strong Knees DVD is really worthwhile. There is 7 minutes to save your knees bonus chapter that sees a lot of use.
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Old 07-30-14, 07:30 PM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sheepla View Post
Saw the orthopedic doctor today to go over MRI and X-Ray results for knee pain I've had for the past two months. The doctor said I had severe degeneration and knee arthritis. I just turned 45 (my brother is a year older than me and has already had knee replacement surgery so genetics are not on my side). I have NEVER had knee pain up until now so I'm surprised it is such a sudden onset thing.

I'm a runner. Currently run about 20-25 miles per week (though obviously not the last few weeks) and have run many marathons and half marathons. My doctor was great today because he didn't just automatically say dismissively as many doctors do "no more running." Instead he asked, "how important is running to you?" I made it clear that it was my most important kind of exercise. He suggested, once we get the inflammation down (he gave me a cortisone shot today) to maybe experiment with 2 days a week running but no more. I have to say, the thought depresses me since I'm used to 5-6 days a week running. He seemed pessimistic that I'd even be able to keep that up for long and felt that my distance running days were over.

Not surprisingly, his position was walking is better than running, spinning is better than walking, swimming is better than spinning. I was so freaked out by no running that I didn't even think to ask about any strength training restrictions.

Oh, another reason I really liked this doctor, I said "I understand any extra weight is hard on the knees. If I lose the 20 lbs I need to lose, does that change what I can do?" Again, he didn't just give me a dismissive answer. He said, "You're very tall so even if you lost down to your lowest possible weight, it is still enough weight that it is going to cause problems for the knee and that's not something you can do anything about." So rather than making me feel bad about being a little over weight, for some reason that made me feel better.

Has anyone had any experiences with coping with knee arthritis long term? I have two very active German Shepherds, so exercise options that don't include outdoor time with them are not ideal. Plus, nothing burns calories like running.
I've had knee arthritis for decades; probably brought on at least in part by years of running and high impact aerobics.

I haven't run in years. It is simply too painful. I walk outdoors--a LOT (several miles a day), ride my bike, practice different forms of yoga, do weight training, and I do a few cardio workouts on DVDs that I can modify or that have modifiers for low impact. I can't do stuff like barre workouts.

No question that osteoarthritis has curtailed my fitness regimen. Some people can run for decades and do not get arthritis. I am not one of those people. My husband just got his hip replaced in May--he was a runner for decades and had terrible arthritis in his left hip. The surgery went really well, and he's doing stuff he hasn't been able to do for a long time (like comfortably crossing his left leg over his right!), but running is off the table for at least a year and probably for good. He doesn't miss it--he works out hard on an elliptical trainer at his gym, cycles on the weekends, lifts weights and does a lot of yard work. He is very fit, and I am too.

There is life after running.
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Old 07-31-14, 09:50 AM  
sheepla
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I appreciate everyone's feedback. The only activity I've ever tried that gets me as pumped up as running is Cross Fit. I'm not sure that can be modified down enough to be knee friendly. Went walking with my regular running partner this morning and it wasn't TOO bad. Sigh. Just not the same. But as I told her, I have a limited amount of cartilage left in my knee and it needs to last me another 45 years.
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Old 07-31-14, 10:52 AM  
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I am no and was not previously a runner. I had an injury when I was 19 and the knee degenerated over a very long time. Finally, I had a total knee replacement this year. I would say I had had arthritis for 20+ years before it came to having the surgery, so it could be you've got a long way to go on your knee. I think the doc gave you very sound advice to cut back on your running. At least you are not giving it up altogether, right?
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Old 07-31-14, 11:47 AM  
Kathy G
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I was also diagnosed with osteoarthritis about 2 years ago. I was trying out a new "crossfit like" gym in my area. They had us doing alot of high impact movements on a carpet (no padding) covered floor. My knee swelled up and I had trouble bending it. I went to see an OS who had me do an MRI. When the results came back I was shocked when he told me osteoarthritis because I hadn't really had any symptoms other than some stiffness which I attributed to an ACL reconstruction done on my knee several years ago.

Anyway, I'm not bone on bone yet so the severity isn't crucial yet. He said my first option would be shots to pump up the padding and when that stopped working, my last resort will be a knee replacement. I was crushed! I thought my running days were over for sure but his opinion was that as long as I can run pain free, then keep running. When it starts to bother my knee, stop and find another activity. He said the worst thing I can do is stop doing any exercise.

So, I've continued running. I just completed another 50 miler a week and a half ago and I'm prepping for a 50k Labor Day weekend. I remain pain free when I run and lift weights but I know what type of movements aggravate me knee so I avoid them (jumping jacks, burpees with a jump, etc.).

Hope that helps, I feel your pain, really I do. I know my running days may be limited at some point but for now I'll just keep doing it for as long as I can.

Kathy
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Old 07-31-14, 11:58 AM  
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Kathy G, did you ever have the shots, or has your knee been okay so far without them? I'm just curious, because I just had lateral meniscus surgery for a large tear, and I was told I have some arthritis, but that having less of a meniscus will give me even more of a chance of the arthritis progressing faster, since I'll have less cushioning of that knee. It's pretty scary hearing this stuff, right?

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