Arthritis Support Group

hi i can feel your pain cause i to am in the same situation with my knees i also have ra overlap of lupus sjogrens syndrome just to name a few. i have been dealing with my knee problem all my life it started out as a kid with osgood slatters diease they told me it will get better as i got older but didnt. i played a lot of sports excerise just doing it up until both my knees started to give out on me with no notice. i had surgery on my knees about 6yrs ago and it helped for the first year (arthoscope) but my job required alot of walking standing bending and i think i went back to soon but anyway im right back where i started and now the chondramalcia has gotten so bad theres nothing left but knee replacements of both knees but i am to young. ive been through therapy 3 times shots nothing help for me. i am in therapy now for my shoulder it seem like i live there lol. acutually i have had both shoulders done. the reason they did surgery on me was because i had broken fragments, bone on bone torn tendons from the broken fragments. i take pain medication just to be able to walk with a cane up and down stairs. can you walk up and downstairs? or walk for long periods of time? do your knees swell up? the surgeon that did my shoulder surgery and my therepist said he has seen some young people that has had a replacement done but they almost always have to have them revise because the replacement only last for so long. i just turn 40 in june and they are telling me that like to see people in there 60s before there will consider replacement.. i also have arthritis in my knees i wear braces when i go to gym. if you find anything out where you live at please let me in on it cause we are to young to go through this i still got some dancing to do lol.

Hi,
I've had rotten knees since my 20s, am now 50. They s tarted grinding and hurting in my 20s and they said was chondromalacia patella. Nothing much you can do about it. Things will continue to deteriorate over time. They can go in there and scrape it out and try to clean it up, but it really doesn't do you any good. And often makes things worse and accelerated the arthritis. Mine just progressed until I had episodes of severe pain, pain that kept me awake all the time because I could find no place to put the knee that was comfortable to sleep. Eventually I went to see the doc again and they did MRI and decided there was torn meniscus and I made the mistake of letting them do arthroscopic surgery. That made it so bad I had to wear a brace on it for 3 1/2 years until I lifted up my leg one night and it went twang and I couldn't really walk on it very well after that. Since I work on my feet, that was unacceptable so I went back again and they said had to be replaced. I had the right knee replaced at age 47. It is better, and useable, but not great. Still hurts, has starting grinding bad again, and limits what I can do. But, I had to do it so I could keep working. The other knee is now going south on me. It is limping along on synvisc injections at the moment, but has such bad arthritis that it needs replacing too. I just can't take time off for all the surgery. I need an ankle fused too as it is so arthritic it drives me absolutely crazy. The current research shows that PT helps arthritic knees more than surgery. You just have to do what you can and try to keep it going as long as you can. Then you replace it and hope you don't have complications. It sucks, but there isn't much else you can do.

Vanyel

What does your PT have you doing for your knee? I have been to PT for my back etc but not my knee. Any advice would be helpful, thanks.

I did have an ortho recommend the synvisc and got a CD on it but not sure if that will help or not.

OMG, my daughter has been DX'ed w Chrondromalacia Patella. She is 14 yo, this started a yr ago. I just figgered it was a kid thing & that she would grow out of it. She has an appt w the orthopedic dr tomarrow. Last wk she hurt her left knee, popped it or something but we took her to ER & they gave her a knee immobilizer & crutches. I hope this isnt a sign that she will be having probs all her life. What exactly is this disease??? Dr told us it was that her knee cap is off to the side.

My hubby also has knee probs. He had total knee replacement 2 yrs ago. He is 62 now. Seems to have helped but he still needs to wear a brace on it.

Just recently, my right knee has been giving me probs. I do have athritis thru out my neck & back so i wont be surprised if i have it in my knees now too.

Thanks for the new info i have, plz keep me informed.

HUGS
Cathy

Cathy,
The chondromalacia patella is fancy words for the fact that the kneecap is wearing too much, usually from not tracking properly over the other bones of the joint. It is usually an arthritic type condition, which just means it is wear and tear on the patella (knee cap). If your daughter is having trouble at 14, it will bear watching and if it worsens they may be able to do something to make the kneecap track better and not wear out so fast. Maybe as she grows it will self correct. I'm not into pediatrics much. See what the ortho says but don't get too worried. We all get wear and tear damage to our joints - some level of arthritis. It doesn't mean she is going to be in misery forever, but it bears watching. HOpe that helps.

Vanyel

TY Vanyel,

Took her to the Orthopedics & we r schedualed for MRI on Dec. 8th. She is also going to physical therapy starting today. Dr is gonna keep an eye on it but may do arthroscopic surg for it. She is 5'9" & weighs bout 184, not too bad for her height. Ill keep u informed on the progress.

Hugs to all
Cathy