Saturday, October 21, 2017

Open Comment Forum: How Does Diet Affect Your Knee Pain?

Well, it’s about time again for an open comment forum. So, below in the comments section, please talk among yourselves. I’ll keep my piece short.

If you’re looking for a topic, here’s one: how have you found that diet affects your knee pain? This is something that interested me during my recovery. I read a lot about foods that supposedly help damp inflammation. Readers of my book know I ate a lot of garlic because of its reputation as a supercharged anti-inflammatory.

In the end, I’m not sure it did much, or anything. But that’s not to say diet was totally uncorrelated to my knee pain. I noticed a slight negative effect when I gorged on saturated-fat-heavy food, such as pizza.

So what’s your experience been? Please comment below. Or feel free to discuss whatever you want to, or just introduce yourself to everyone.

Happy Halloween!

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Karen’s Success Story: Cycling with a Twist

I recently fished a recovering-by-bicycle story out of the comment section. I love it because it shows how a little ingenuity can take you a long way, and Karen’s attitude is definitely that of a winner. Here it is below, with light editing:

"About two years ago I began experiencing pain in my knees going up and down stairs after workouts. It gradually got worse until I decided to see a doctor. I received X-rays, two cortisone shots and the knowledge that I don’t have arthritis. (I used to work out regularly three to four days a week.)

"I pouted around, got depressed, gained 20 pounds and about one year and a half later finally started seeing a trainer to help me get back in shape. It was very, very slow progress, but after about six months I was able to go up and down stairs without pain. However, the workouts began to get increasingly frustrating because the strength-training exercises pretty much all hurt. Squats were terrible. My trainer was really positive and kept trying to motivate me, but it seemed like everything he tried hurt.

"So I quit and started reading up on knees and ran across your blog.

"Last fall, my husband and I first saw pedal-assist electrical bikes all over Europe. I tried riding a bike when my knees were at their worst and couldn’t. But I tried a stationary bike again and this time had NO problem whatsoever! So my husband and I walked into the bike store and I walked out with a Trek Lift.

"Without sounding corny, it has changed my life. I ride my bike every day I can. I feel normal again. I feel like I’ve actually worked out. My husband and I used to ride together, but stopped due to my knees. Now I leave him in the dust! He loves it because I push him to ride harder and he sometimes even drafts off me. LOL!

"I’ve found that I use the motor the most on very steep hills, when I need to push off at a stop sign, or cross the road quickly. The bike feels best for me in the “ECO” mode in a middle gear. It has the smoothness of a stationary bike and I'm still working to pedal. Plus all the fun of riding outdoors. The best part is that my knees feel better than ever! (My knee problems stem mostly from pressure on the knees, for example: hopping up and down on my toes. But luckily, I’ve never had any problem walking.)

"I wanted to share my cycling SUCCESS story and maybe it will inspire someone else to give a pedal-assist bike a try. Thank you for sharing your success stories too!"

Thank you, Karen! Anyone else want to share a success story? Just drop it in the comment section. Success stories are always in vogue!