my dentist wont return my knee

[alocispepraluger102]

for the first time in my life, i've a physical problem time won't heal.

my left knee, 2 months ago, started hurting bad. 1 month before that i was running and jumping room and was made of iron, or so i thought.

exercise or rest, ice or heat-the pain won't go away. i know where this can lead. before she died, my late went the frightful road of 2 total knee replacements.

2 months ago, when the knee was much better, my family doctor took a look and said it was osteo, and suggested weight loss and warm towels.

being mobile was one of the biggest freedoms in my life, and i'm not ready to give it up, yet. are there suggestions for treatment, or should i just trade the knee in?

[Don Brown]

I know exactly what you're going through.I had the same experience with both knees. First it was the left then, a couple of years later, the right. After checking my X-rays, my GP sent me to to see an orthopedic surgeon. It had been confirmed that I was suffering from osteoarthritis in both knees. This was back around 1996 and in those days arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage was a common treatment. I understand this procedure has not been found to be all that successful and is seldom performed in Canada today. After having both knees operated on arthroscopically - a couple of years apart - I felt some relief but still had to take pretty powerful pain killers. But then,in 2006 I had both knees replaced. My surgeon, who is considered one of the world's finest, replaced both knees the same day. I couldn't believe how quickly I recovered from the surgery. I was back on my feet in no time and I've never had a problem since. There's nothing I can't do now and I'm totally pain-free. There is a secret though. Never go to a general hospital for a knee replacement. Be sure to have the surgery done at an orthopedic hospital where that kind of surgery is all the surgeons do. I know lots of people who've had a knee replaced at a general hospital and are now unwilling to get their other knee replaced because of their bad experiences and poor results. Good luck.

[alocispepraluger102]

thank you, don, for relating your experience; i will heed your wise counsel.

it is so gratifying to hear of your ultra-successful knee replacements.

should the same rule of thumb perhaps be applied to nonreplacement knee surgery?

Edited September 16, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[JSngry]

I got both of my knees banged up in playground incidents before I entered high school and have never had true "full functionality" in them since. I was totally mobile, just not..."fluidly" so.

All was well until one morning two years ago when I went to get out of bed and could not stand up. Could not. Had to hold on to the nightstand and push myself up. I could walk once up, but once seated, had to have something to push against to get back up. After a day of this, I was thinking that dual knee replacements were inevitable.

My wife, however, snuck out of the house and came back with a bottle of glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. I kid you not when I tell you that I began to feel some kind of healing process begin within minutes of the first dose, and in about 10 days I was back to my normal level of functionality (which still was not athletic or anything, but I could resume normal activity w/o having to think about it).

I know the data on this stuff is inconclusive, and I suspect that when it does work, it works on a very specific set of conditions. I don't think it's a Miracle Cure-All or anything like that.

What I can tell you is that it worked for me. I was having joint deterioration issues, and it stopped the deterioration and put things back like they were. I still take them everyday and have seen no further deterioration.

Might work for you, might not. Can't hurt to try, though.

[Don Brown]

Glucosamine/Chondroiton does help. Even the doctors here now agree that it does. But another thing alocispepraluger might try is an injection of a substance - the name of which I can't remember at the moment, but I'll find it - that lubricates the knee joint for up to six months. When it was first being used my knees were too far gone to be helped, but I have two friends who are getting regular injections and they say it does wonders.

[JSngry]

Glucosamine/Chondroiton does help. Even the doctors here now agree that it does. But another thing alocispepraluger might try is an injection of a substance - the name of which I can't remember at the moment, but I'll find it - that lubricates the knee joint for up to six months. When it was first being used my knees were too far gone to be helped, but I have two friends who are getting regular injections and they say it does wonders.

Yeah, Josh Hamilton got that within the last week. It's called Synvisc (obviously a brand name, there's probably others of the same formulation), and it seems to work wonders for athletes.

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/treatment/a/synvisc.htm

[alocispepraluger102]

i have a shopping list for tomorrow, thanks to 2 fine and respected organissimo gentlemen.

2 months ago i was running hard and jumping rope and may not be too far gone. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Edited September 16, 2012 by alocispepraluger102

[JSngry]

Cool. Good luck!

A little furtehr recommendation - the supplements come in various strengths and prices and additional ingredients. I've just used the strongest formula out there, and in a store-brand (in my case, Kroger) formulation with next to nothing additional added, and in the largest bottle available (to bring down the per-unit cost). Yesterday, they had them as a buy-one-get-one-free item, so I carpe-diemed all over that. It's still a little "pricey" but hey, ain't no such thing as a free lunch, ya' know?

[alocispepraluger102]

Cool. Good luck!

A little furtehr recommendation - the supplements come in various strengths and prices and additional ingredients. I've just used the strongest formula out there, and in a store-brand (in my case, Kroger) formulation with next to nothing additional added, and in the largest bottle available (to bring down the per-unit cost). Yesterday, they had them as a buy-one-get-one-free item, so I carpe-diemed all over that. It's still a little "pricey" but hey, ain't no such thing as a free lunch, ya' know?

THX, I'M OFF TO KROGER OR WALMART AFTER THE FIRST NFL GAME

[alocispepraluger102]

the knee is almost back to 100% with most times no pain, even climbing stairs.

the past 3 months i've used a daily regimen of a quick 1/2 hour on the treadmill, 15 minute swim, 15 minutes daily in hot tub, 15 minutes per day in sauna and hot tub, 1 inexpensive osteo-biflex tab, and have eased up on the daily 5-6 mile walks. i'm not sure how or why the knee is better, but the relief is near complete and unmistakable.

[johnlitweiler]

Very interesting. At my family dr.'s suggestion I took glucosamine but didn't think it did much to ease the leg pains so I stopped. That was in a June, when the warm weather had eased the pain in previous years. This time, though, the pain continued well into the summer until I caught on and returned to the glucosamine.

Nowadays broken cartilage rattles around in one knee, especially painful when I bike an hour or 2 each day. Has anyone on Organissimo had a broken cartilage problem and also had arthroscopic surgery for it? Did the surgery do any good? (Knee surgery is scary. My mother had surgery on both knees and afterwards could not walk from the front door to the sidewalk - too painful.)

[Quincy]

the knee is almost back to 100% with most times no pain, even climbing stairs.

the past 3 months i've used a daily regimen of a quick 1/2 hour on the treadmill, 15 minute swim, 15 minutes daily in hot tub, 15 minutes per day in sauna and hot tub, 1 inexpensive osteo-biflex tab, and have eased up on the daily 5-6 mile walks. i'm not sure how or why the knee is better, but the relief is near complete and unmistakable.

Do you feel comfortable at with cycling? It could always be an indoor exercise kind. I do both - with the latter you can read & bike at the same time. I had reconstructive knee surgery half a lifetime ago and biking and swimming are friendlier pursuits for those who have had knee injuries.

[alocispepraluger102]

i, like yourself, abandoned glucosamine for just a few weeks, with noticeable worsening. my doctor mentioned that the treatment works for some and not at all for others. osteo bi-flex($14 for 80/walmart) has helped me.

several folks here may be able to help you...

good luck, john.

[PHILLYQ]

Very interesting. At my family dr.'s suggestion I took glucosamine but didn't think it did much to ease the leg pains so I stopped. That was in a June, when the warm weather had eased the pain in previous years. This time, though, the pain continued well into the summer until I caught on and returned to the glucosamine.

Nowadays broken cartilage rattles around in one knee, especially painful when I bike an hour or 2 each day. Has anyone on Organissimo had a broken cartilage problem and also had arthroscopic surgery for it? Did the surgery do any good? (Knee surgery is scary. My mother had surgery on both knees and afterwards could not walk from the front door to the sidewalk - too painful.)

I had arthroscopic surgery on my left knee in 1996(torn meniscus) and have had no problems from it at all. I went to a local hospital, two blocks away, and it turns out that the surgeon was rated one of the top ten in NYC by New York magazine, so I got very lucky. After surgery I used a cane for three days, but walked normally afterwards. I was given rehab exercises to strengthen the joint and did them religously. After six weeks I returned to playing handball and I still play today(I'm almost 57). Surgery has advanced quite a bit and does wonders in many cases, especially with mine. Be sure to get an MRI to get a good look at your knee and check around for a good surgeon to do the job.