It has been almost 3 weeks since I went to the orthopedic doctor, and he dove in with the diagnosis of relatively serious arthritis and the plan of waiting for the pain to become unbearable and then we will start pain management treatment and start on the path toward a knee replacement. I have accepted the diagnosis, but I am not accepting the future he described without a fight.
Firstly, I am in total agreement with the doctor’s diagnosis. I fully accept and understand that I have some serious arthritis in my knees. That is not disputed. I will even acknowledge that the week of intense pain was a baker’s cyst that ruptured. The diagnosis fits with my symptoms. So, I accept that just fine too.
What I do not accept is his prognosis for my future. “Wait for the pain to escalate’ is quite simply not acceptable. Furthermore, I feel as if the doctor saw my knees in the x-ray and glossed over the pain that I was experiencing up and down my leg. He saw advanced arthritis and looked no further.
So where does this leave me?
The first and largest (pun intended) thing is to lose weight. I got serious immediately upon the doctor’s dire prediction for my future. In the first few days I lost 2 pounds. Yay me! And then came vacation! I had plans to splurge a little but mostly keep my eating under control. Toward the end of vacation my water consumption really suffered though! I am proud to say that we went on vacation and ONLY gained those two pounds! Immediately upon the end of vacation, I got serious again and I am proud to say that 4 days after vacation ended and I am not only right back where I was the first day of vacation, but I am also ½ pound lower! I am 2.8 pounds down from where I was 19 days ago and 11 of those days were vacation! I have to say, this is probably the first vacation EVER for me where 4 days after vacation I am not multiple pounds higher and in fact lower than my pre-vacation weight! Go me!
The second thing is that I have really started to look at other causes of the pain. I find it hard to believe that I was walking and moving fine a month or so ago and overnight the arthritis took a nosedive to the point that I can not walk and can’t rise out of a chair without an intense flash of pain. Couple that fact with the instances where I have talked to Jason about how my calf muscle feels so tight or that the movements that I can feel pulling that then causes the knee to hurt. Thus, I am mostly convinced that the bulk of my pain is somewhat muscular in nature.
I have researched and stumbled upon what may be quackery…but here goes.
I stumbled upon one person who is supposedly a Doctor of Physical Therapy. (I say supposedly because it is online and I haven’t felt the desire to research his credentials.) This doctor dude indicated that knee pain is usually not pain that starts in the knee…the knee is just the part that gets the attention. He said that the pain is from the quads in the thigh. He said that they get tight and hard knots form. Thos knots then cause more and more tightness and pulling/compressing and it throws everything out of balance and that imbalance is what is causing the pain (and most likely the arthritis issues in the first place). Hmmm……I can buy into that theory. So much so that I pulled out a massage stick that I bought years ago when I was running and started running it up and down my quads…..and placebo effect or not, I think it may have worked …….a bit. So I plan on continuing that process. (I haven’t paid any money to see the ‘full program…..just researched what I could online) But he says nothing that I could find online about the calves…and my pain seems to radiate there too.
But then I stumbled upon another potential quack. Another Doctor of Physical Therapy. (Supposed, because once again…online.) This due also states that it’s not the knee that is the issue but that it is the muscle. I believe this dude actually used the phrase that the knee is reactionary to other issues. This guy talks about quads AND calves. HELLO, tell me more! So I read further. And didn’t get much more…other than the fact that if those muscles are weak or over stimulated…seized or loose…….or if one muscle is weak and one is strong that it is causing imbalances that are causing the knee to hurt. I haven’t ruled out paying for the $20 online class for this one. But then again…quackery?
So where does that leave me?
- Continue to lose weight
- Massage rolling my muscles
- Creating a routine where I am stretching and building those muscles SAFELY (and not full bore ahead to 100 plus pounds of weight which is what the personal trainer did). And to make sure I am working ALL of those muscles!
- Movement….walking as much as I can. (and getting that exercise bike back into my daily routine…..and or getting to the gym for the bike/elliptical)
- I am forcing myself to try to do as much as I can without the aid of grab bars, altered movements, etc. Don’t get me wrong, it hurts….but my theory is that movement will help!
I’m telling you……I accept the diagnosis. I do not accept the prognosis. So it’s time for my self-rehabilitation.
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