From time to time, I like to encourage people to send in their success stories, or even updates about what they're doing that's working well.
The small community that we have here benefits greatly from hearing voices other than mine talking about what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to knee pain.
So consider the comment section open to success stories or updates! Some of you have been visiting this blog for years, and have years of struggling with knee pain before that. You have long stories to tell that make mine seem quite short by comparison.
Anyway, that's all from me! Not a lot to report on my end ... I don't really think about my knees too much anymore, and that's kind of a nice place to be.
Cheers!
A study published yesterday suggests that there is an innate capacity of the body to regenerate cartilage in the limbs. It is interesting that it goes from the bottom upwards. The ankles regrow cartilage faster, whereas the process slows down in the knees and it is even more slower in the hips. The researches speak very carefully of a limited ability to regrow cartilage but as far as I can understand the data, it is a matter of time. It seems it is just damn slow when it gets to the knees and the hips. Here is a link to the paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/10/eaax3203
ReplyDeleteAnd here is a popular article because the study is quite dense and may be boring for some of you:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-humans-salamander-like-ability-regrow-cartilage.html
I am delighted to be one of the success stories!
ReplyDeleteI had years of ups and downs with my knee pain. Mostly downs. Including a few short stints in a wheelchair when the pain was just too painful but I still needed to go places like get through an airport or get through a museum.
I’ve been doing really well for the past several years and am getting back into living an active lifestyle.
However. I need to stay vigilant. I need to listen to my knees. I needed to not be lulled into believing everything is 100% fine and cured forever. I need to keep moving my knee joint with high rep / light load activities.
Recently my knees had been starting to ache a little bit. I saw this as s cautionary yellow flag!
I attributed it to just too much knee-intensive activity. I got worried!! I did not want to have a flare-up or have another catastrophic relapse. :-0
So. I have eased off my activities a bit and my knees are feeling better.
My plan moving forward is to incorporate more activities that are less hard on my knees. I will do the knee-intensive activities at a sustainable level and not over do it. For example. For something that is very knee intensive, just do it once per week for a max of 2 hours. Or maybe twice per week but just for 1 hour each time.
Then do other more knee-friendly activities throughout the week.
Richard, just bought and read the book, it connects a lot of dots that I have been observing with my own chronic knee pain. I am just starting the journey and buying a pedometer today. I loved your determination, keep up the good work with the blog.
ReplyDeletePersonally I am a little worried right now, as unfortunately, I experience pain when walking. I also experienced it while biking. I am not sure yet what low rep activities to pursue at this point, and I cant take off work to devote my time to laying with my legs up. Sometimes the pain on comes on directly during physical activity, and other times my knees will just appear as I'm resting even laying down, usually at night.
I also have an adorable 20 lb daughter that I have to carry around quite a bit... unfortunately I think it is causing a toll.
So, I plan to start a journal. Thank you for your scientific mindset.
Question-
Some studies you mention say isometric quad sets improve, thicken viscosity of the synovial fluid. So I'm thinking about keeping some of those exercises and abandoning the wall sits, one legged squats my PT had me do. Any thoughts?
Also wondering how this works, as it doesnt seem like there is any motion involved with these excercises.
ReplyDeleteAnother question- it appears that bearing apporpriately light load and motion is the best combo. In the study with the rabbits, did it seem that they were bearing load when they were attached to the passive motion machine? It seemed to indicate that motion, no load (but maybe the rabbits pressed back on the machine), allowed regrowth of cartilage only when a hole had reached the cartilage. I am considering whether or not bicycling in the air, while laying on my back, would be smart way to get more motion without
ReplyDeleteoverloading and damaging the cartilage.
I'd say after 7yrs I've moved to being between 60-90% better by following the videos/readings of Dr Dye, and thus by getting the chronic synovial inflammation much improved. But recently, I've still done too much (cycling, gym, a little running) and was going backwards. So now I'm just doing either gym or swimming every 2nd day. Within a week I had big improvements. Now I just have to be patient enough to keep it up to try once and for all to beat this chronic background inflammation.....but I'm really missing my mountain bike!
ReplyDeleteHi TriAgain, hope things are going OK for you now. I'm curious as to whether the chronic inflammation was something that showed up on MRI or that you can see/feel it. Following a ski injury back in February I have struggled for ten months with inflammation and swelling, overenthusiastic physios etc etc (and am so thrilled to find this blog/book!). After my second MRI the radiologist sat there and told me I had no swelling, but there is fluid in my knee every single day (I can see it and feel it!). And I'm worried about how unhealthy it is to have inflammation all the time as per another post by Richard.....would be great to hear how you are doing with your inflammation?
DeleteHi Vicky
DeleteMy situation was a bit different, because I think I had the first inklings of chronic inflammation coming on, but then I tore my medial meniscus running, had surgery to remove the loose piece as it was causing my knee to jam, and within a week of that was into full blown inflammation in BOTH knees. I think the surgery triggered a total meltdown.
So the MRI I had never detected anything other than a torn meniscus, some damage to the femur cartilage (because I kept cycling with a torn meniscus) and patella chondromalacia (which I already knew about).
Physios are absolutely the worst people when it comes to chronic synovial inflammation. I can absolutely guarantee you their solutions will make you worse. I've tried to educate my physio (and others) on this, but they just look at you like "what would you know".
Also, once of the supposed best knee experts in Australia could not detect my synovial inflammation on physical examination, even though I specifically suggested this could be the issue.
I've had inflammation for over 6yrs and while I'm sure it did me no favours, I feel like the damage was not irreversible. The past few weeks my knees have almost felt normal again.
Hi TriAgain, nice to hear from you again. Richard posted a series of questions I commented on here. Its going on about a year and a half of anterior knee pain but deciding to do a similar routine recently - gym (low watt biking, core work, PT exercises that don't load the knee) and swimming sometimes with a buoy or minimal kicking planning to increase laps slowly.
ReplyDeleteThis was after a month of trying to rest but still worked so not sure if it deserves another full shot of eliminating sitting. Reluctantly saw the same sports ortho that gave no guidance - turned down a cortisone shot, told me to stay active, and contributed the pain to the knee making sound/not being in the groove perfectly. I brought up whether it could be a plica issue which he didn't dismiss but discouraged doing any scope done.
Anyway, I second the mountain biking sentiment and hoping to hit the ski slopes in the future. Cheers to happier knee days.
I'm an 83-year-old woman. I liked your book very much: you're a good writer; you did lots of research; you managed your own treatment. Here's a topic you didn't mention: the importance of alignment and posture. In my case, my ankles kind of caved inward (pronation?), which, of course, affected my knees and hips. Thanks to years of brow-beating by my yoga teacher, who is also a chiropractor, I solved my pain problems by wearing orthotics in my shoes and being careful to keep my ankles upright over my feet. I had a bad knee for a while (hurt to bend it). The doc said my meniscus was "shredded." Maybe so, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I play golf twice a week, plus do Jazzercise, yoga, yardwork, and housework.
ReplyDeleteMy post is above. I forgot to add: I also write a blog on health-related topics. www.medfreehealth.blogspot.com Here's my post about fixing my knee and hip problem. http://medfreehealth.blogspot.com/2017/04/its-not-all-downhill.html
ReplyDeleteHi Richard, could I obtain your book Saving My Knees, in hard copy?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your advice for inner knee that has substantial cartilage loss?
ReplyDeleteIt's only available as an ebook. I discussed in this (admittedly old) post how people can read an ebook if they don't have a Kindle:
ReplyDeletehttps://savingmyknees.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-can-you-read-saving-my-knees.html
On the substantial cartilage loss question, first, I avoid giving advice, as I'm not a doctor. But I would think about very gentle motion that flexes the joint but doesn't irritate it. This could be easy, no-load stationary cycling, for instance, or water exercises in a pool. Doug Kelsey's book -- "90 Day Arthritis Remedy" is the title I think -- might have some good exercise suggestions.
I'll be ordering your book in the morning. I am a chartered herbalist who treated my osteoarthritis. Two years ago I was in pain - today I am pain free. I'm looking forward to comparing strategies!
ReplyDeleteIn 2002 my knees started to hurt from my daily cycling commute, then I massively exacerbated that during a 1-week backpacking trip. Got so bad I limped for months. I tried everything to fix it, and had short good periods but always regressed back to the pain. Finally, 17 YEARS LATER, I figured it out. 1) Gave up sugar, inflammation went away, 2) quads were overactive, fixed that by doing glute raises with feet up on the couch (glute bridges on the ground made it worse), and 3) strengthened my lower abs, which disengaged my overactive hip flexors and got rid of my anterior pelvic tilt.
ReplyDeleteI run 3 times a week now and experience no knee pain. Daily maintenance consists of keeping my hamstrings and abs engaged with light exercises 3 times a week.