# Bad Knees Problem



## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

I've suffered over my knees for years and years, but it looks like it's finally coming to a head.

I have had osteoarthritis since I was 14, (I'm 20 now) and my joints are generally very painful, sometimes stiff and swollen, especially when it's damp. It's only gotten worse over the years, and now it's downright torture trying to make my joints move in the mornings. I cry almost every morning when I wake up because I know how much pain I'm going to be in when I try to get out of bed.

That said, I have tried to remain active. Obviously horseback riding is in my life, and I used to try to run (and when my knees got worse I walked) and I spend more time on my feet than off. 

It's become impossible in the past week. I'm terrified. My knees feel like someone is smashing them with a hammer with every step, and it's a much different pain than arthritis. I've fallen down several times simply because I'm unable to support myself when the pain hits me. 

I have a doctors appointment next week, but I wish I could go somewhere sooner. Sadly I live in a rural area and the nearest hospital is over an hour away. My family is also away at the moment and I don't trust my legs enough to drive that distance right now. 

Anyway, I'm really scared that I'm going to be told that I need surgery. Doctors have told me before that it's likely that the cartilage in my knees is very thin (osteoarthritis degenerates cartilage as well as bone and joints). I'm concerned that I'm wearing through the last of it, or getting close, because I can't imagine what else could be causing me so much misery.

Basically my biggest fear is that this could end my riding. Obviously I've been unable to ride since this pain has started (about a week and a half ago) and it's getting to the point that even taking my horse out to take care of her is agonizing. I'm afraid that if I get a surgery, I might never ride again. If I don't get a surgery, I'll be in agony and definitely never ride again. 

I'm just wondering if anybody here has had knee surgeries/injuries/etc and how it's affected your riding/horsey life. This has been a long time coming for me but it doesn't make it any less upsetting. Sorry for the long post but I am seriously in need of some help or advice.


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## trinabugg (Jul 8, 2014)

when i played soccer i jammed my knee into the goal post and so now when i work or ride for a long time my knee hurts so bad that i can barely walk so in a way i know how it feels to be in a lot of pain from your knee. try wearing a knee brace(s) it will offer the extra support for your knees


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

That's terrible, to be in such pain so young.

can you lay down and elevate your legs from time to time? and does it help to ice them? have you talked with your doctor about your diet? it's possible that your diet might have something to do with having a lot of inflammation. I am assuming that you have tried anti inflammatory drugs, such as Celebrex. they are not good for one's heart, in too high a dose, for a long time. I use it from time to time, and must accompany each pill with a prilosec to keep my stomach from rebelling, but it makes riding more comfortable. for me, it is my lower back that now hurts day in and day out. but I am 56, not 20, so that's different.


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

tinyliny said:


> That's terrible, to be in such pain so young.
> 
> can you lay down and elevate your legs from time to time? and does it help to ice them? have you talked with your doctor about your diet? it's possible that your diet might have something to do with having a lot of inflammation. I am assuming that you have tried anti inflammatory drugs, such as Celebrex. they are not good for one's heart, in too high a dose, for a long time. I use it from time to time, and must accompany each pill with a prilosec to keep my stomach from rebelling, but it makes riding more comfortable. for me, it is my lower back that now hurts day in and day out. but I am 56, not 20, so that's different.


I've been keeping my legs elevated as much as possible over the past week, and it does help a little bit. The problem is that I work as a cook at a busy restaurant and rarely get time to sit down for breaks during my shifts. It might be worth talking to my doctor about my diet, since I have no idea what could cause inflammation. 

I have only ever taken anti-inflammatory's when my arthritis has gotten out of control, usually in the winter time. I don't have any right now, so I've been attempting to fight back using acetaminophen since it's all I have right now, but it's not even putting a dent in the pain or swelling. Alternating heat and cold seems to help a little bit. 

It's embarrassing to not be able to run or walk without limping at my age. Nobody has ever made fun of me for it but people stare or pity me, and a lot of people just plain think I'm faking because I'm young. Part of me hopes they decide to do a full knee replacement just so I can eventually have a less painful day to day life. :-(


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

don't jump too quickly into surgery. a knee replacement has a limited lifespan, which is shorter than YOUR lifespan, so you'd need to do it more than once, and so, consider carefully.

Can you put some kind of small step stool near you at your job, so that you can put one foot up on it , alternating. ? this meant that you bend, and unweight, one leg at a time to reduce the pressure on it, while still maintaining a standing posture.

you may try wrapping your knees , too. and ibuprofen or aleve will help better with inflammation than acetominophen. (tylenol)


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Nutrition is really important with this sort of thing, whole foods, avoid processed foods, make sure you get everything you need - all the vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and fatty acids etc needed not just for the average person, but a person under physical stress, which for example increases Vitamin C / antioxidant requirements. Do some net research on what different people recommend for arthritis - there are great case studies. I heard of someone whose bad joint pain was caused by a bad reaction to tomatoes - food sensitivities like that are also possible. Sugars promote inflammation, so reduce those. Glucosamine supplementation is frequently helpful as well. I wish you all the best with your health.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

PS: Also my father once bought a three-year-old racehorse who already had degenerative arthritis from being started too young. She would get sore doing any work at speed and was therefore sold to us as a broodmare. As an experiment a veterinarian injected her affected joints with hyaluronic acid - 25 years ago that was cutting edge. The young mare had a spell and then was carefully conditioned on soft footing for a long time. She transitioned back to speed work uneventfully and raced for another three seasons, accumulating a few wins and many placings, before retiring to stud; without any further soreness.

Hyaluronic acid injections are now mainstream for human and animal arthritis management and are worth trialling - this substance not only lubricates and cushions the joint, but can actually repair cartilage to a degree, and certainly reduce the stress on compromised cartilage.

One information sheet I found on this:

http://www.rheumatology.org.au/downloads/HyaluronicAcid230811.pdf

It's pretty basic, and you can find better things with a little searching.


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

SueC said:


> Nutrition is really important with this sort of thing, whole foods, avoid processed foods, make sure you get everything you need - all the vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and fatty acids etc needed not just for the average person, but a person under physical stress, which for example increases Vitamin C / antioxidant requirements. Do some net research on what different people recommend for arthritis - there are great case studies. I heard of someone whose bad joint pain was caused by a bad reaction to tomatoes - food sensitivities like that are also possible. Sugars promote inflammation, so reduce those. Glucosamine supplementation is frequently helpful as well. I wish you all the best with your health.


My diet is fairly average, in my opinion. I love fruit so I eat a lot of it, veggies with any meal that has meat, (raw because I hate them cooked) and naturally, a bit of junk food. I don't go overboard but the junk food I do eat is more filled with salt than sugar. (Chips, popcorn, etc.) I'll do some research about what might help me. 

I take a glucosamine supplement twice daily, they have seemed to help since I started taking them. (My mid-teens.) 

Thank you!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I am a twenty two year old with severe post traumatic arthritis. But it's in my ankle, and not in my knee.

I will tell you that, if you have a doctor that is worth their degree, they will avoid anything overly invasive because of your age. They don't want to see a young person laid up anymore than you want to be laid up.

They might suggest joint injections. A knee brace is another good way to go.

Do you ever take Epsom salt baths? They help me... I don't know if it could be a placebo effect, but frankly I don't care xD


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

Zexious said:


> I am a twenty two year old with severe post traumatic arthritis. But it's in my ankle, and not in my knee.
> 
> I will tell you that, if you have a doctor that is worth their degree, they will avoid anything overly invasive because of your age. They don't want to see a young person laid up anymore than you want to be laid up.
> 
> ...


I'm hoping that anything that needs to be done won't be serious... Something simple that'll fix my problem would be ideal. Preferably something that doesn't stop me from walking for any period of time.

Epsom salt baths are godly... I soak in them at least once a week. Placebo affect or not, they really really help!


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

Oh knees, mine are awful too. I had an injury a few years back where my LCL was badly strained and meniscus torn. I am so lucky to live in an area with such an array of specialized doctors to choose from.. mine is also the main leg doc for our local soccer team.

He prescribed intense PT and hold off on knee replacement surgery as long as possible. 30 years down the road I will definitely need one- but by then technology will be so much greater than even now and maybe I'll have a bionic knee 

I hope your coming apt can shed some more light on options for you. I'd look much deeper into diet as a means of reducing inflammation- as hard as it is to let go of those few junk foods, sticking with lean meats, fish, veggies and small fruit portions are really the best way to keeping inflammation down. If I deviate from my normal foods even for one splurge meal I can feel it in my bad joints (the knee and an old ankle injury) and in my stomach- I get crazy stomach aches. 

Low-impact exercises really helped me. Walking, biking, elliptical, ergs. Epsom soaks all the time! so good.. and drink ridiculous amounts of water. Look into some essential oils possibly. Different oils have different soothing/healing properties that may decrease some of your pain too. 

I wish you the best, I feel your pain, and I truly hope you can get some relief from it soon!


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## Hally1997 (Jul 26, 2014)

Try knee braces, also do you have stirrup straighteners on your saddle. That helps slot with my knee and ankle, because you don't have to twist your legs for the stirrups to be straight.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I ended up being disabled at age 22 but that was for other reasons. I'm 27 now and I will say, I have a lot of arthritis. 

I loved running as a child. I would go to the beach and run for miles. I tried jogging with the dog the other day... My right knee started hurting and the bottom of my left foot started hurting. I had to turn around and walk home.

My wrists have some sort of chronic tendonitis (or carpal tunnel) or something... The specialist wasn't sure what! Now I have trigger finger and that is so painful!

My mom says she gets upset, because I should be healthy and out having fun and I have been so laid up with health problem after health problem.

My last doctor told me to see a Rheumatologist, but I haven't gone yet. My gastroenterologist tested me for every antibody under the sun, and everything was negative. So the leading theory is I have a "new" autoimmune disease.

There are all sorts of antibodies, most of which are only tested for in experiments and mainstream testing has not yet been developed. Then you can have an autoimmune disease even if you don't have antibodies associated with the disease, in which case blood testing would be a false negative.

If you have not been tested for autoimmune issues I would suggest looking into that! Arthritis can be a leading sign. Especially at such a young age! 

I also take glucosamine and MSM every day. I don't think it really helps though.


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