Senior with bad knees

dougkelly10

Good Evening

I am here to lose weight to qualify as a candidate for knee replacement. I also want to lose the weight to better enjoy my retirement and be able to travel.

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

I'm a senior with bad knees, too, though I've managed to defer surgery for quite a while now. I know that's not possible for everyone, and I assume I'll need surgery eventually . . . I just mention it to suggest I have some hints about where you're coming from.

For me, two things have led to much less joint pain, and much better overall quality of life (that last in diverse ways, not just joint improvements).

One was gradually, manageably getting stonger and more active. I started with gentle yoga a couple of times per week soon after completing full-bore cancer treatment, and gradually expanded from there as I felt more able. The stronger I got, the less joint pain I had. It was a slow improvement but very meaningful. If you have physcal therapy to prep you for surgery, or can get that, that's a good place to start. Friends who've done the pre-surgery course of physical therapy (faithfully) seem to have better outcomes than friends who skipped it.

The other was weight loss, in my case from class 1 obese to a healthy weight. That was also slow improvement, and a somewhat delayed effect: I think that reducing my weight reduced stress on my joints, but they benefited from some healing time to settle in, then pain or discomfort were very noticeably less frequent and less severe.

As with so many things in life, there isn't a quick fix, but patient perseverance can lead to major improvements in my experience. Fitness and weight loss are both cases where slow and steady wins.

I'm 69 now, have been retired for quite a few years, at a healthy weight for 9+ years since loss, and active somewhat longer than that. Retirement is great, IMO. Your plan to improve health and fitness can definitely make it more enjoyable.

Wishing you success: It's worth the effort!