Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 37

Thread: Worn out knee cartilage..

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Glossop,but vagrant!
    Posts
    25

    Worn out knee cartilage..

    Sidelined at moment whilst recovering from knee arthroscopy.Had patellar chondromalacia/patellofemoral joint pain and effusion intermittent, but worsening over last 8 years.Relatively sudden deterioration last October.Stopped running, as pain at lateral patella with every step.Rest,conservative rehab followed,but everything got worse.Op finding on Weds. was a 1cm diameter hole(down to subchondral bone) under lateral facet of patella.....i.e I've managed to wear away 5mm cartilage.Gone forever.
    In my defence, I would say that most of my running has been relatively painfree over the years.I've averaged about 20 miles/week, or equivalent training, over 10 years, and also go rock, ice,Scottish winter and alpine climbing very regularly.Occasional rucsac-humping mountainous backpacking.For work I'm a rural vet surgeon, so constantly on feet(and knees) wrestling with unwilling large patients.
    I've no intention of stopping anything! I'm 42, and want to continue for another 15-20 years,minimum.
    No hiding from medical fact that if I don't apply my knowledge and common sense to the usual fellrunners' "Carry on regardless...",then I won't be going far for very long
    Just wonder if there's anyone else out there who's either been through the same thing, or is a health professional who runs,whose treated anyone like me?
    I'm only interested in what running/climbing has been managed,longterm, and whether patellofemoral arthritis has set in, big time.
    Got a superb consultant, so don't need treatment/rehab advice.
    This is quite a common runners problem, and I'm sure there's plenty of lunatics like myself that don't want to take it lying down!!
    Your histories,please,folks?

  2. #2
    Senior Member owmeknee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    leeds(near the co-op)
    Posts
    169

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    Ive had three cartlidge trims on right knee and crutiate ligament rupture.also one trim on left knee .I keep going but sometimes think until when.If my knee is hurting tend to do some cycling,as for long term who knows.
    There doesnt seem to be many runners that dont have some injury ,but like you say we just run through it.
    Im forty and not ready to stop yet,keeps my sanity as well as the weight off.
    Not much help but thats my experience ,hope its some help.....

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Glossop,but vagrant!
    Posts
    25

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    Thanks v. much,Ow! Sounds as if you're doing pretty well in the circumstances.This kind of feedback is invaluable,partly because clinical findings don't always match capabilities- some dogs have awful hip x-rays, but still get round well, others seem to have a mild problem at x-ray, but suffer more severe lameness;also, we fellrunners have somewhat different activity levels and expectations from our joints than the average population-it's great to hear you haven't been forced to give up by your joints.Cheered me up- I was trying to face harsh reality head-on,but really I'm out to get some real perspective on things.Happy running!

  4. #4
    Grandmaster dominion's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Back home for now...
    Posts
    11,680

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    My dad has had a cartlidge op on each knee since the age of about 50ish. Reality is that having run mostly road since the age of about 16 his knees are shot. He's very mobile, but hasn't run since his mid 50's.

    He asked one of his consultants about cartlidge replacements, but was told that they're working on it, but it's a long way off being available. He's 74 now, so I guess things may have moved on in the intervening 20 years.

  5. #5
    Senior Member A.P.E Knott's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North East
    Posts
    315

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    Quote Originally Posted by weak-at-knee View Post
    Sidelined at moment whilst recovering from knee arthroscopy.Had patellar chondromalacia/patellofemoral joint pain and effusion intermittent, but worsening over last 8 years.Relatively sudden deterioration last October.Stopped running, as pain at lateral patella with every step.Rest,conservative rehab followed,but everything got worse.Op finding on Weds. was a 1cm diameter hole(down to subchondral bone) under lateral facet of patella.....i.e I've managed to wear away 5mm cartilage.Gone forever.
    In my defence, I would say that most of my running has been relatively painfree over the years.I've averaged about 20 miles/week, or equivalent training, over 10 years, and also go rock, ice,Scottish winter and alpine climbing very regularly.Occasional rucsac-humping mountainous backpacking.For work I'm a rural vet surgeon, so constantly on feet(and knees) wrestling with unwilling large patients.
    I've no intention of stopping anything! I'm 42, and want to continue for another 15-20 years,minimum.
    No hiding from medical fact that if I don't apply my knowledge and common sense to the usual fellrunners' "Carry on regardless...",then I won't be going far for very long
    Just wonder if there's anyone else out there who's either been through the same thing, or is a health professional who runs,whose treated anyone like me?
    I'm only interested in what running/climbing has been managed,longterm, and whether patellofemoral arthritis has set in, big time.
    Got a superb consultant, so don't need treatment/rehab advice.
    This is quite a common runners problem, and I'm sure there's plenty of lunatics like myself that don't want to take it lying down!!
    Your histories,please,folks?
    20 miles a week is hardly enough to suggest this has been the reason for the knee problem.
    Many many competative and non competative runners log a lot more miles than that and do not have knee problems.
    You say you do not require re hab advise i would argue that is just what you do need.
    I have undergone cartliage operations on both knees and have recovered well enough to run and race well but it was only when i found out that i had slight pronation problems and changed from a cushioned to a support shoe that i could run with any regularity.

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Glossop,but vagrant!
    Posts
    25

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    In reply to Dominion: Thanks for telling me about your dad's experience.Glad to hear he's still v. mobile without knee replacements.From what I've researched myself,seems cartilage replacement research has moved on lots,but the surgery and rehab are complex.Results are fair for femoral cartilage defects in young athletes - results deteriorate significantly if you're over 35-45;i.e not much hope for most of us yet.I'm wondering if he wore out or tore his menisci - the c shaped fibrocartilage cushions between femur and tibia.My prob. is a hyaline cartilage defect under patella -prob caused by an abnormal lateral tracking of the patella, tho' I believe the foot on the affected side does pronate a bit under heavy load (20-30kg rucsacs).The knee is amazingly complex.I asked on the forum just to see how many of us fellrunners were running on- or not, with cartilage probs.I'm trying not to fill the website with clinical knee stuff-because I could easily do that single-handedly - and I don't consider that I know that much! Your dad hasn't missed out on any relevant new technology though! Thanks again!

  7. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Glossop,but vagrant!
    Posts
    25

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    In reply to A P E Knott: Thanks for sharing your knee probs and it's good to hear you're running still! Don't worry, I'm doing rehab! Didn't want advice on this as I know that there's several medical/surgical specialist lifetime's worth of info on human knees! Much of it provides for years of debating between surgeons,physios etc.My previous level of knowledge was as a veterinary surgeon,but it's deepening by the minute!In my reply to Dominion you'll see a bit about what my own prob. is. I could write several pages just on patellofemoral joint probs., but I want to try to spare everyone from that! My other half runs and he's sick of my knee!
    I'm particularly interested in the longterm findings of fellrunners with patellofemoral chondral defects.It's actually more common in females - forgot to say I was! -but as we're a smaller population to survey,i'm interested in bloke's knees too - I don't want to be sexist! Thanks again.By the way, I'm not going to get running again until I've had a gait analysis and got a proper pair of orthotics- been using off the shelf ones/support shoes for a while.

  8. #8
    Master NotOnUrHelly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Dirty Darren
    Posts
    1,534

    Unhappy Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    This is not great reading for someone who has had Runners Knee/ITB trouble for about 15months now and spends more time stretching and strengthening than he does running.

    It quite scary that this thread has appeared at the time that I have decided to just manage it and get on with things. I'm in the mind set now that this is just a niggle that I will carry and may hopefully go away. I was shocked that you have tried to manage this type of thing for about 8 years and now it has led to cartlidge trimmings etc.

    Is it worth me going down this road just for the sake of being a middle of the pack runner.

    Jamie

  9. #9

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    Just out of interest Jamie, does the stretching seem to help? I've had conflicting advice on stretching of IT band/glutes area. And I don't seem to have seen any difference by doing it or not doing it. Was talking to a pro athlete a couple of days ago and although he's a road runner, he advised me to only stretches the front and back muscles. I've been hindered by IT trouble for years and doubt i'll do another marathon unless I can rid myself of it.

  10. #10
    Master NotOnUrHelly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Dirty Darren
    Posts
    1,534

    Re: Worn out knee cartilage..

    Hi Lieth,

    I find if I can really keep on top of the stretching and strengthening ie everyday few times a day it really helps. It just so difficult to find the time to do it.

    Wierd thing is, say I do a bit more running in a week. No long distance just more short runs (3miles) and build up slowly the first few are painful then it seems to improve. If I layoff for a few days things seem to tighten up and it comes back.

    Im certainly not planning any long races this year, short and sweet but frequent for me.

    It does seem to come and go though.

    Cheers

Similar Threads

  1. Knee help please!
    By mr brightside in forum Injuries
    Replies: 93
    Last Post: 19-06-2010, 03:54 PM
  2. Who to see for my knee
    By novice in forum Injuries
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 14-07-2008, 04:28 PM
  3. Knee OP
    By Denzil in forum Injuries
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 24-01-2008, 02:41 AM
  4. Worn Walshes for sale
    By barneyboy in forum Sales and Wants
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 25-08-2007, 01:40 AM
  5. Cartilage injuries
    By Mr1470 in forum Injuries
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 17-04-2007, 11:05 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •