My knees are sick.
They’ve always been pretty sick but I recently found out why and how to make them better.
When I was younger my knees would always creak and grind, shift, and hurt. I got older and normalized the pain. "My knees always hurt", "Bad knees run in the family"- I would say when asked and usually followed that up with a shrug.
But now that nonchalant attitude has caught up with me. Two weeks ago during my 5k training, I had pain in my knees for weeks. But I didn't tell anyone for a while until it ate away at me and I had to tell TP. He's such a good husband in the way husbands can be good at guilt trips and demands when passionate about something. So eventually I made an appointment.
"But I feel better now!" I whined a few days before the appointment. That was met with a death stare. Needless to say, I went to the appointment.
After four X-rays and a very long wait, the doctor came in and gave me the worse news I could have imagined.
I have Patellofemoral Syndrome and early onset arthritis- in both knees.
Patellofemoral Syndrome is the abnormal softening of the cartilage under the knee cap. There are many causes for this but mostly it’s from poor alignment. According to the doctor, the arthritis I have is hereditary. I told the doctor that my dad has one knee replacement and has to have another.
The doctor drew his breath in and nodded his head. As if to say, “Honey, you were dealt a bad card in your deck."
He continued to dance around the issue and finally I said, “I know I have to lose weight.” and that opened up the flood gate. The doctor told me I need to see a nutritionist as soon as possible because I had a lot of weight to lose.- He repeated this to me several times in case I missed the message. But I wasn't upset, I was grateful for the honesty.
He told me that someone my age shouldn’t have these problems and I especially need to work on my weight and getting my knees healthy because of my family history.
The doctor predicted that if I didn’t lose the weight and strengthen my leg muscles that I would need knee replacement surgery in my 40s.- Like my father.
I felt like someone had smacked me in the face. Seriously. I’m 24 years old with two bum knees and 100lbs of excess weight. Can I just hang myself now?
I felt so stupid sitting there in his office as he explained that for every 1 pound of fat that is like 3 pounds to the knee when walking. And for every 1 pound of fat that is like 6-8 pounds to the knee when going up and down the stairs.
My knees are supporting an extra 300 pounds of pressure when I walk! Oh and I just don’t have the heart to do the math on the stair example...though it’s simple enough math, I just don’t want to know...
I left his office with my little booklet about knee strengthening exercises, sat in my car and called TP. I was heart broken. How could I let myself get this way? Did I really think that being this heavy was healthy? Oh, damn you years of excess food and laziness.
Of course at this point it is easy to wallow in defeat. I figured I could take one of two paths:
1. Give up and continue eating excessively and make up reasons why I am sexy/happy/okay/confident/content at the body weight I am at and let Western Medicine rule over my life.
...or...
2. Do something about it.
Well, I'm choosing to do something about it.
-M
