Knee pain

[BuggBob]

I know most of us are not doctors, so I am not trying to get free medical advice. But I was wondering if any of you fellows have had knee surgery or knee replacement. For some unknown cause my left knee is killing me, there is no swelling but it "pops" in and out, has a nasty grinding felling, and is very painful. I have tried a knee brace, hot and cold treatments, but nothing is making the pain go away. I am afraid to go to the doctor, because if my season is over I don't get to go vacationing this year.

If they can replace my knee, why can't they replace my belly? I'd take the one I had at 20.
Bugg

[Smiley]

Sounds like torn cartilage. Can be fixed with arthroscopic surgery. I'd wait until the season is over and schedule. I went two years after my initial diagnosis, and wish I hadn't waited. Surgery was relatively painless and recovery was about two weeks. Never even need crutches. No knee problems after 20 years.

[SC Ump]

I'm a big guy and started a preseason a couple of years ago with a double header baseball, both games behind the plate. My knee was gone and I was sure it was going to be surgery. I went to a doctor, an old timey kind of guy who put his hands on my knees and asked me to swing my legs. I did and he said, "your knees are perfectly fine... but the insurance companies make me take x-rays anyway." He took some x-rays and my knees were fine. He gave me some very easy exercises to do to strengthen some of the muscles used in our weird umpiring squats.

While laying on my back, I will bring one leg up so the foot is flat on the floor next to my other knee. Then I lift the leg that is out straight six inches off the ground and hold for 45-60 seconds. Reps of three times for each leg. (It is kind of like doing the old football "six inch" drill, but doing both legs at once works the stomach and lower back, where doing one leg at a time works the knee muscles.)

Using ankle weights is acceptable. I personnally just do it first thing in the morning before I get out of bed, with the light weight of a blanket draped over my leg. No problems since then.

[Steve M]

Bob,
If you ever find the guy who can replace the belly - I want his name & number.

I think the exercises that Dan gave are good. I do some of them. I also work on my hamstrings. Doing those exercises has greatly eased the pain I've felt in my knees.

I don't have floating cartiledge - my good knee has a tiny bit of cartiledge. My other knee is pretty much bone on bone. And there's some arthritis. I know replacement is somewhere in the future. I am also very sure that I have put that replacement off by 5 years or more with the execercises.

[JEL]

Hey Bob,

When you do find that belly doc, I will gladly offer you some transplant material!

I have a very tempermental left knee, which has put me down on field a couple of times. There is something floating around in there that I can kind of manipulate back into place and all will be OK for a while.

I used to have the "pop and grind" feeling you speak of so I decided to try Glucosamine 500mg and Chondroitin 400mg. I started with 3 pills/day for the first bottle of 240, then went to 1/day. Been using them for about 4 years now, and it has worked wonders. I buy them at the local "WallyWorld" in the big bottle. It may be snake oil, but I'm convinced. I know it has eased the constant pain I used to have. May be worth a try.

Oh yeah, I still have the belly I had at 20! (I keep it covered up though)

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by JEL

Oh yeah, I still have the belly I had at 20!

I still have the belly that I had at 20, and lots more to boot!

[bkbjones]

Somebody say knee pain and belly? Expert in both.

I had knee surgery on March 1. Orthopod wanted to try everything else in the world before surgery, and then this happened, and then this other guy was out of town...so had surgery March 1 for injury last July 25.

All arthroscopic:
1. Lateral release - be sure that thing floating around in there isn't your patella.

2. Clean out redo upper notch for patella and patellar tendons

3. Torn cartilage (didn't show up in MRI because it was hidden behind patella, etc.)

4. Lots of cleaning...maybe I should post pix online.

5. 3 holes in bottom of thigh bone (I get 'em mixed up, which is femur and fibula and tibia and ulna and sciatic and whatever...) to somehow help alleviate arthritis, which will some day turn me into an assignor or an angry fan...

The exercises you described are good. Don't forget work on glutes as well...if you don't feel a stretch all the way to glutes, you might want to consult someone.

All this time off the field is killin' me...but I learned a long time ago they CAN play without me. Doc says I can go back any time. PT says not so fast. On the elevator to PT yesterday I got in my plate stance. Good thing PT was the other side of the door...

[streamdoc]

That reminds me - I've still go to go Jeff Gillooly on that knee so that there's one extra spot in the Nationals. J/K glad to hear that you should be out on the field soon, and see you Sunday.