(no subject)

[just_cyd]

I have a dr appointment on Monday to get my knees checked out (again). i can't take this grinding, pain, and locking up any more. by the end of my 3 mile walk last night, i could hardly move. sitting on the couch for a spell afterwards only made it worse, and this AM, i felt like frankenstein or the Tin Man trying to hobble to the bathroom.

last time she gave me anti-inflammatories, which helped the pain, but not the grinding bone-on-bone feeling. This time, i'm not gonna even speculate at what she'll say.

Comments

[queensheba.livejournal.com]

Wow, what is it with us and knees? I'm getting mine checked out this afternoon for similar problems. Hope we both find easy solutions!

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

i dunno. i know my abundance of weigh doesn't help the situation, but i'd like to think there are other factors that are out of my control. my mom's mom had horrible arthritis from a young age, and my dad's got problems now, too (has for about 20 years). i have other achy joints when it's cold or is going to rain, but my knees are constant.

i hope you get good news and an easy fix. mine feel like bone-on-bone, and i don't think there'll be an "easy fix" for that.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

mine feel like bone-on-bone

Urrr. Yes, could easily be arthritis. In which case, yeah, probably no easy fix. I have osteoarthritis in my knees too... not bad YET, but I've got it. And like you, I too have a family history of arthritis.

Your doc may recommend: 1) orthotics, to help with joint alignment. You might be surprised how much good support on the foot will help with healthy alignment of the knee. 2) physical therapy or exercises to strengthen certain muscles, again for joint alignment. 3) stretches, in case some of your soft tissue tension is pulling things askew. 4) a glucosamine and chondroitin combo, one of the few dietary supplements for which studies do show that it seems to do what it claims to do. In sufficient quantity, these slow down or even stop deterioration of cartilege (osteoarthritis), as shown by X-rays to measure bone spacing. I eat big ol' horse pills of these things every day.

My doc recommended physical therapy, and the physical therapist was the one to recommend stretches and orthotics. My backpacking group recommended the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.

good luck!

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

Thanks, dear! my doc recommended glucosamine to me a last december when i first saw her about my knees. she told me it'd take a while (six-plus months) to see any results, but i'm pretty sure i quit taking it before then. i should dig that stuff out and try again.

i can see where orthodics would help immensly. most of the shoes i wear to work have little or no support, and aren't very comfortable to boot. my feet tend to roll in (fallen arches), so i have this bad habit of rolling them out and standing on the sides of my feet.