I'll keep my knees please!

So as far as I can remember, the term Osteoarthritis was always included in a conversation when I paid a visit to the Orthopedist.   The language was always the same.  What is Osteoarthritis?  It is the degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone, most common from middle age onward. It causes pain and stiffness from the swelling, especially in the hip, knee, and thumb joints.  To make matters worse, that degeneration starts way earlier than we think.

Those of you who know me are familiar with the way I live my life.  I try to eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, drink socially, and control my weight, yada yada.  In short, I don’t commit as many sins as the average individual. I need my body to be in alignment. That’s why when I recently started having trouble with swelling in my right knee, I was stumped.  I noticed the only activity that I was doing that was causing this was squats and lunges.  So I decided to make an appointment with an Orthopedic Doctor to get a diagnosis. 

First off, it took me 3 weeks to get that appointment.  Apparently, all Doctors take the same vacation in Aruba at the same time so there is NO ONE to see.  No problem – so, while I waited,  I started to experiment.  I found Spin Class to be fine, no problem on the elliptical trainer or in Pilates or weight training with closed chain (keeping your feet stabilized) movements.   Just the squats and lunges – so I eliminated those while waiting for my Doctor buddy to get back from the sunshine. 

Doc:   Hello - how can I help you?

Me:    Well, Doc, I waited so long for this appointment that now I feel great.  I eliminated all the offending activities.  I figured out that squats and lunges were causing my swelling so I stopped doing them for a while.   From the way that I feel, that was definitely a good move on my part.  I almost cancelled but I want to make sure there is nothing serious going on.

Doc:  (he looks at the x-rays & manually starts examining me) Well, you have SO MUCH arthritis in your knees that I cannot believe you are not screaming in pain – you must have a very high tolerance.  Let me show you YOUR x-rays and then films of what a knee is REALLY SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE.

Me:    Are you serious?  Look at that knee – it is totally text book!!  You got that from Trail Guide to the Body. Nobody’s knees look like that unless they’re 12 or sat in a wheelchair their whole life.  I happen to like MY knees – we have a very long history together.

Doc:  Well, wait a minute.  Don’t get me wrong.  You certainly are not a candidate for joint replacement.  If things get worse, I could drain your knee and give you a few shots of cortisone.

Me:   Uh, no thanks. The cortisone will be a temporary solution and then the problem returns.

Doc:   You can also try the injections.

Me:   Nope - I did that already with Euflexxa and the shelf life is about 6 months.  Just like Botox, they are pretty expensive and then you need the shots again.  Right now the only injections I am getting are going into my face since I need that more LMAO.

Doc:   Well, you seem to know what to do. My advice is to keep moving.  I am really glad you came in for a visit and I will make a note in your chart “follow up as needed”. (I will not make a dime off this one – no longevity.  I am looking for a cash cow to help me pay back my medical school debt!) 

So the moral of the story – the comparisons on a lot of imaging for body parts, including bone density, are done with much younger versions of yourself so you need to keep degeneration in mind when moving through the process.  That starts at a very early age – which was what I said at the beginning.  I heard this through the years of DEXA scans, x-rays, MRIs, etc.  Age is just a number and you need to love the skin you’re in.  You only have one body and it is unique to you.  Don’t let anyone try to make you feel like you can’t measure up!!!

BTW – I feel great since it was not my knee after all.  It was the vastus medialis,  part of the quadriceps muscle group, located on the front of the thigh.  I worked on my trigger points in that area and managed it with paired thumb massage.  No more pain:)