Wellness

[SharkE]

Back about 5 yrs ago I was too fat and found out I had bone spurs and osteoahritits of the knees. I lost 50 pds. and went back to light exercise by buying a recumbent bike . No treadmill. I haven't had to do nothing more. As you age your body can't haul around all that extra wgt. Made a big difference for me.

[goodstuff]

On 3/14/2015 patticakes said:

Thanks, everyone, for all the good info and advice. One more question, would you say, then, that there's more success with the injections if you don't wait until your knees get too bad? That's what I'm getting from most of these experiences and that's why I wanted to seek out the care of an ortho. specialist now rather than waiting until it was so bad that there were no options but surgery. Perhaps getting the injections will delay more serious treatment. What do you think?

The shots may delay more drastic measures........but if you have severely worn cartilage in the knees, you may need surgical treatment sooner or later. When the orthopedist showed me x-rays of my collapsed, bone-on-bone knee joints, he offered trying Synovisc injections, but was dubious that they would have much positive effect for long in my case. I realized that knee surgery wasn't going to be easier as I got older, so I stopped delaying and had total knee replacement -- one knee in 2012 and one in 2013. It has made such a positive difference!

People sometimes fail to realize, too, that damaged cartilage in the knees affects your walk, inhibits your ability to squat, climb, and do other movements, sometimes makes one leg slightly longer than the other (due to worn-down cartilage), and can throw the whole body out of kilter.......which puts undue stress on your back, hips, ligaments, muscles, and other structures. TKR isn't easy, but if you have badly damaged knees, it can be totally worthwhile......and positively affects your whole body and whole life, not just your knees!

[NYwoman]

Why not try HA (hyaluronic acid) capsules first? It would rehydrate your entire body, even your skin. I use NOW brand and Lucky Vitamin website.

[RedTop]

My thoughts are that you will definitely have a better chance of success with the injections if they are done in the early stages of joint deterioration. The Synvisc type injections will help keep the necessary cushioning in the knee to delay bone on bone grating. Once your knee has deteriorated to bone on bone, your only option is joint replacement. Do whatever you can in the early stages to keep your knees as healthy as possible, but I also urge you not to put off surgery when you reach that point. Surgery is challenging, but going into it with a positive attitude will make all the difference.

[number one queen]

I have had multi cortisone injections in both knees, my speacialist, advised me to go with just the cortisone injection , they do topically numb the area and the injection has numbing agent in with the cortisone. Getting a numbing agent injection is painful, just go with one injection,it will hurt ,just take a deep breath and it will be over. Rest for the rest of the day. You will be fine fo your dinner party. I also had the set of three injections,short relief and I had allergic reaction. In the end I had both total knees done. Of all at this point I still would do the total knees.I wish you the best.

[sfnative]

On 3/14/2015 patticakes said:

Thanks, everyone, for all the good info and advice. One more question, would you say, then, that there's more success with the injections if you don't wait until your knees get too bad? That's what I'm getting from most of these experiences and that's why I wanted to seek out the care of an ortho. specialist now rather than waiting until it was so bad that there were no options but surgery. Perhaps getting the injections will delay more serious treatment. What do you think?

You've asked a very important question! And I say that because once you've had an injection and the results are positive, it's so very tempting to call your doctor immediately when the effects have worn off and you think you need another injection "right now" to get rid of the pain.

The problem here is that going overboard with cortisone injections can further damage the joint.

So...bring a notebook and pen with you to your appointment with questions and be prepared to take notes, so you have information to take home with you. Your doc will examine your knee thoroughly and ask you questions. You must make it a point to indicate to your doc the severity of your pain on a scale of 0 to 10. You must also qualify your pain/feeling using words that will be helpful to your doc. Words like: ache, sharp pain, lacerating pain (like a knife thrust), burning, numb, shooting pain (what direction does it come from and where does it stop). Also point out tender spots. On your notepad have a list prepared of all of the things you are either unable to do or activities which are impacted by your pain. Do you need assistance in getting dressed, bathing, etc? Are you able to stand long enough so that you can function in the kitchen, etc.?

My mother-in-law had severe problems with her neck, but had incredibly difficult times when it came to verbally communicating her condition to her docs. The consequence of this was that she was never, and I mean never, able to be properly diagnosed, so never received any treatment. Though she's no longer with us, I still feel horrible about his, as I could not take time off work to go to appointments with her up in L.A., nor would she and my Dad allow me to do that.

Good luck. Please let us know how things develop for you. God Bless.

[HonnyBrown]

patti, I had a cortisone injection in my knee in 2011 to address runners' knee.

It was fast and painless! I haven't had any knee pain since. I don't run as much but I still do it.

[Hoggie]

I had this injection once and will NEVER have it again. About four hours later I experienced the most extreme pain I have ever had!!! I couldn't walk….I couldn't move . My son had to get me off the bed and dress me and carry me to the car. I had to go to the emergency room and have two rounds of morphine. I groaned and cried more than I did when I was in hard back labor. ……no kidding…..no exaggerating . The emergency room doctor at the hospital was upset because my doctor did not inform me that this was a possibility. I think this may be rare but it can happen.

[little daisy]

I had synvis. Shots. A number of them. They worked a awhile. Once I had trouble walking again I found a really got surgeon and had a total knee replacement. This was the best thing I could have done for myself. I now can run never have pain I think if you get a really good doctor you will be happy with the results.

[bewise]

For myself,the injections only helped a short time.Finally realized that my knee had to be replaced.Had the 1st right side done,them 3yrs later the left side.Best thing,finally no pain.