Knee wraps?

[holly_potter]

I know I keep posting on the forums seeking opinions! Normally I’d ask my mom but as things are with my family right now…and I’d been busy lately with full time school and two jobs and stuff to enjoy “lurking” fun

But my knees have been giving me grief lately. It’s gotten to the point where even when I sit down and put a pillow under the knees they still ache terribly above the knee joint, and on the sides of the back of my knee. Always had the pain on again off again, but not as bad as this before. Normally the leg braces I bought seem to work alright. One’s basically like a little elastic sleeve I pull over my leg, but it really doesn’t do anything to it except provide pressure to it. the other one is like this one.

But they don’t really seem to provide the support I’m looking for I don’t really know what I should buy, so I’m going to browse Walgreens tomorrow before work. Those of you with some experience with knee pain, what sort of knee brace did you buy that worked?

Don’t worry, if it still hurts really badly, then I will have to suck it up and pay the copay for the doctor It’s been freezing up on me a lot lately. Once I was sitting, curled up, and my knee felt like it “froze” in that position 'cause of the muslces or something, and it took pain and massaging and time to get it to move again…blah.

 

[Cat]

Definitely see the doctor.

I’m 51, and my left knee is bone-on-bone–no cartilage at all. Yes, it hurts horribly, and one of my doctors said “Knee replacement.”

The other doctor (2nd opinion) said, “Lose weight.” (I weigh about 260 pounds.)

The problem is, if you can’t move, you can’t exercise, so you can’t lose weight!.

But he also said, “Don’t replace the knee until you’re much older.”

My daughter (a physical therapy major at St. Louis University) told me about the efficacy of physical therapy to provide pain relief, more mobility, and thus delay knee replacement.

So I asked my family doc about physical therapy, and he referred me. I spent a month working twice a week with my physical therapist (I had the same therapist after my foot surgery a few years ago).

It was like a miracle. At first my knee was so frozen that I could barely move without terrible pain. The physical therapist taught me simple, non-weight bearing exercises and told me to do these DAILY, several times a day if possible.

I was amazed that my knee actually started hurting less, especially at night. (Before therapy, I was waking up all night long with “zinging” pain in the knee.)

So I kept learning more exercises and even starting doing some recumbent biking (non-moving bike in a gym)–the PT said start with the lowest weight and lowest resistance.

I also did physical therapy in the pool (my hospital has a warm pool—body temp–for physical therapy patients, and a PT who specializes in water therapy).

After only ONE MONTH, my knee was flexible, strong, and essentially pain-free. I will never play beach volleyball or take up ski-jumping, but I could at least walk out to the mailbox without pain, and sleep without waking up in pain.

Unfortunately, I had foot surgery again a month ago, and I haven’t been able to do my knee exercises, and I can feel the stiffness and pain returning. I can’t WAIT to heal up this foot so that I can get back to working on my knee.

I really recommend physical therapy.

Notice I didn’t say chiropractic–I said PHYSICAL THERAPY. My physical therapist (and my daughter, too) made it clear to me that I would have to do these exercises for the rest of my life to stay flexible and pain-free.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I know I keep posting on the forums seeking opinions! Normally I’d ask my mom but as things are with my family right now…and I’d been busy lately with full time school and two jobs and stuff to enjoy “lurking” fun

But my knees have been giving me grief lately. It’s gotten to the point where even when I sit down and put a pillow under the knees they still ache terribly above the knee joint, and on the sides of the back of my knee. Always had the pain on again off again, but not as bad as this before. Normally the leg braces I bought seem to work alright. One’s basically like a little elastic sleeve I pull over my leg, but it really doesn’t do anything to it except provide pressure to it. the other one is like this one.

But they don’t really seem to provide the support I’m looking for I don’t really know what I should buy, so I’m going to browse Walgreens tomorrow before work. Those of you with some experience with knee pain, what sort of knee brace did you buy that worked?

Don’t worry, if it still hurts really badly, then I will have to suck it up and pay the copay for the doctor It’s been freezing up on me a lot lately. Once I was sitting, curled up, and my knee felt like it “froze” in that position 'cause of the muslces or something, and it took pain and massaging and time to get it to move again…blah.

Holly, you really need to see a doctor and find out the cause of this pain and your symptoms, rather than treat it yourself. You are a young person, and those knees have to last a lifetime. You need to get proper medical treatment so you can save your joint function.