Osteoarthritis in knees

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rosiecbolton
rosiecbolton Posts: 85 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had an MRI of my knees and the results were in today. At only 37 I have osteoarthritis of the knees and the doctor has said the best thing to relieve it is weight loss as it is "wear and tear" on the joints.

I guess it is extra motivation to get slim. This is the first real medical evidence my weight is making me unhealthy.

Replies

  • anncan37
    anncan37 Posts: 22 Member
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    I too have just been diagnosed with early OA in my right knee..at 39. I was SHOCKED! I've been running, and have my first 5km run on Saturday...it's difficult but I'm going to plug through with a knee brace.

    What kinds of things do you do for cardio?
  • elpurple
    elpurple Posts: 46 Member
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    I also have osteoarthritis in my knees, degenerative disc disease in my lower back and hypermobility which can cause pain etc in most of my joints. I'm 31.

    I'm trying to lose weight with slow success but do struggle. If I go out for walks for too long I really suffer with pain. I try to go swimming with my daughter (age 5) and do activities with her that involve short periods of walking.

    I tape my knees and this helps. Have you tried looking into this? I have also been told that I will need a microfracture which has a very long recovery but can reduce the symptoms. Maybe something for you both to look into?
  • zutshihora
    zutshihora Posts: 30 Member
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    Just reading through all these experiences. Just got diagnosed with OA at 52. Was doing well,losing weight and all. It's probably the zumba classes that precipitates it?
    Looking for helpful suggestions/tips.
    Thanks.
    Shab
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Yeah that sucks

    But you have a great motivation to lessen your pain and your potential damage

    Calorie defecit and progressive resistance to build the muscles and relieve the pressure

    You can do this
  • dapunks
    dapunks Posts: 245 Member
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    Hi,

    I have OA in both my knees. My original diagnosis was in my early twenties. In January I received a partial knee replacement in my right knee which has helped tremendously. The biggest thing is to stay as active as possible and pain control. For me the best exercises were swimming, biking and strength training.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,267 Member
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    I have OA in both knees and a torn meniscus in one. Eventually, my orthopedist says I'll need a knee replacement, but my goal is to stave that off as long as possible.

    Here's why I'm writing: Since reaching a healthy body weight, the pain/discomfort level, for me, has decreased dramatically. I went from discomfort pretty much all the time (including while lying down, etc.) and pain some of the time, to discomfort part of the time, and what I'd call pain really quite rarely.

    Along the way, while fat, what helped was strengthening (rowing, mostly, but also biking & weights); physical therapy (to learn how to walk & - especially - climb stairs in ways that caused less knee stress); and icing after exercise to reduce inflammation.

    But the huge improvement was losing weight. You can do this . . . and it will be worthwhile in sooooo many ways.
  • molly7562
    molly7562 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi. I have OA in both knees. Really need to loose weight but struggling. Nice to hear from people in the same boat
  • cricket490
    cricket490 Posts: 31 Member
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    Are you in alot of pain right now? If so, you might have to lose weight by dieting until your pain gets better. Once the weight comes off your pain might subside where you can exercise.

    Don't let a diagnosis get you down. This is only a wake up call for you to get healthy and lose weight.

    I was diagnosed over 20 years ago with OA in my back/spine. I was not overweight at the time of my diagnosis but each step I took was extremely painful. It seemed like the pain lasted a year. This worked for me but I am not advocating this since I read it does not work for everyone. I have taken glucosamine chondroitin for over 10 years and today I have no pain at all. I started running again and run 6 miles. Two years ago I was running a long run of 10 miles. My ortho doctor cannot explain how I can still run but he said it was ok as long as I listen to my body.

    I know other people who have OA and they still workout as long as they find the right exercise for their body and condition.

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