KNEE ARTHRITIS - General principles of managing Osteoarthritis of the knee :

Help me beat this! - - Posted by Worn_out (Worn_out), 20 February 2004

Everyone,
My thanks to all of you for giving people who don't know what to do about this disease a chance for new incite. I am 47 and have abused my knees for the past 25 yrs. I was one of the top ranked Body Builders in the Rocky Mnt. region of the U.S.A. In addition to all of the heavy weight training that goes with this sport(knee damage) I am very bowlegged. There have been 6 knee surgeries between the two knees(ACL, meniscus tears, cartridge damage, debriment...) 2 surgeries ago(double knee surgery) I was told I have OA mainly in the knee caps. This past surgery(1 week ago on left knee) I was told the OA was going up into the thigh bone.
So much for the damage...where do I go from here? I was told by OS that there should be no more weighted leg training(squats, presses, leg extensions, etc.). OS says I am on my way to TNR. Unfortunately I have found in the past, the stronger I keep my legs the less problems I have. I have been trying to come up with some kind of a strength training program for the stationary bike. Maybe someone out there knows of one or perhaps another type of approach to strength training of the legs.
Next question? What to do about this incessant crunching in the center of the knee. Feels like someone poured a cup of gravel into the knee when I walk. The knee mainly grinds and crunches while walking on level surface, not while going up or down stairs. Even though there is sufficient pain associated with it, the crunching and grinding is primary, it gives me the creeps . I have tried condroiton, glucosimine, MSM, heavy water intake, anti-inf, COX inhibitors, ice, heat...
Thank you for taking time to read and hopefully answer this.
Hope all of you are finding answers for this curve in life we have all been thrown.
Posted by Beauzer (Beauzer), 22 February 2004

Hi,

The heavy weight stuff is hard on your knees (especially squats and extensions) if done over a full ROM.  There are certain ranges of motion that are safer for bad knees (not squatting so your knees bend over your toes or only doing partial leg extensions, especially if you've had an ACL recon) but exactly what those are have to be determined by your OS since he/she knows about your knee.

Also, (and it may sound silly as you obviously have good muscle strength being a weightlifter) physical therapy can sometimes be helpful, if you haven't had any in the past.  They can help identify areas of concern (mucsle imbalance and lack of flexibility can be big problems) or help find activities that keep you in shape while keeping your knees safe.

Not really sure what you can do about annoying joint noises.  If the pain is the main problem then your OS would likely have something to offer.  Some people seem to be more prone than others (nearly all my joints, especially elbows and neck make really loud noises all the time, but really don't hurt, so I can relate)  It sounds like it's probably related to the underlying OA so there may not be much that will make it go away.

Has your OS given any thought to Synvisc injections?  They help some people.  I've had two out of my three injections and I think it might be helping...

Best of luck,
Danielle
Posted by Worn_out (Worn_out), 23 February 2004

Danielle,
Thank you for the info and your time. Unfortunately I have been on the limited range of motion work out regime for my legs on extensoins and squats. That is one of the things that brought my competitiion days to an end.
The Synvisc injections have been lightly tossed around. I think your suggestiion to try these is a good one. From what I have read about them, it is as good if not better than any of my other options.
Sorry to see you have had so much trouble with you knee. Hope the best for you.
Greg












Posted by Linds (Linds), 5 April 2004

Hey Greg, you are right, that keeping your legs strong will make a difference. It's the first thing any surgeon will do with a new patient is send them to physio for some strengthening. Though... I'm sure they didn't do that with you   There are lot's of things you can do to stay strong, without going into a deep squat and deep kneebends with weight. They maybe aren' t as...powerful feeling, but can do the same thing.
Goodluck
HUgs and Hope
Linds
Posted by gman1 (gman1), 5 April 2004

To stop the OA pain you have to lower your SUGAR intake....  New studies show that is the main cause of OA pain....  see here: http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/cgi-bin/KNEEtalk/YaBB.pl?board=oa_principles;action=display;num=1080411754

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.

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