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Hi Dr Stoll,
You've helped me in the past and I hope you could give some advice for my mother. About three months ago she fell straight down onto her knees on a concrete path, whilst holding a laden tray, therefore couldn't put her arms out to break her fall. She had no pain and all seemed to be fine until several days later when she tried to get up from a very low stool, when both knees hurt deep inside, but didn't lock. But she does not have the same problem getting out of a bath.
A few days later she noticed that both knees seemed to have gone dish shaped (inverted), which she's certain is new.
An orthopedic surgeon took xrays which showed some arthritic changes, but not at all bad, and not new, plus fluid from the bursa on the knee, and said the only treatment was physical therapy and ultrasound to strengthen the muscles from the hips to the knees. He also told her not to walk any more and to shake her legs before standing up to get the fluid in the joints moving.
The therapy course is now finished and has made no difference, in fact my mother is getting more pain than before, so she's going to see a chiropractor who's been recommended by a friend.
My mother is in her 70s, very healthy, very active, walks everywhere, does a lot of gardening (involving sitting on the low stool etc) and can't believe she's now supposed to be inactive, especially as her knees feel much stiffer if she doesn't exercise at all. I would be grateful to know whether you agree with the advice she's been given and what supplements, apart from glucosamine, she should be taking. Reading the archives I notice that you suggest underwater exercises, but I can't imagine her in a pool these days, and especially not in our climate, is there something else that would help her?
Many thanks for your help,
Helena
In Reply to: My mother's knees posted by Helena on October 05, 2002 at 21:06:01:
Helena,
I'm sorry your mom is having this trouble.
I don't know if this will help, but a number of years ago I began to have trouble with pains in my knees when climbing stairs, and the exercises recommended by the doc did absolutely nothing to help. I accidentally found that using a rowing machine helped a lot. My guess is that it strengthens the muscles that hold the knee caps in place. However, if your mom tries this (maybe you could go with her to a gym a few times) I would be very careful in case it makes things worse. Or perhaps run the idea past her doctor first.
In Reply to: My mother's knees posted by Helena on October 05, 2002 at 21:06:01:
Hi, Helena.
ALL communities that have an indoor, heated pool now have community sponsored underwater exercises. She needs to do them daily at least till this is over. Any weightbearing exercises are taboo. Gentle flexibility exercises would also help. The glucosamine, EFAs and possibly MSM would also speed up healing of her cartilege which had to have been damages from the fall.
Let us know how she does.
Walt
In Reply to: My mother's knees posted by Helena on October 05, 2002 at 21:06:01:
I would add that prolotherapy can heal joints better than any of those supplements. Also, most people don't realize that ligaments and tendons are also affected in arthritis. The "arthritis supplements" do very little to affect those areas but prolotherapy does. Look it up at www.google.com
-HY
In Reply to: Re: My mother's knees posted by trudy on October 06, 2002 at 08:49:35:
Thanks for this idea Trudi, I'm just so amazed that her doc wanted her to sit down all day doing nothing - she was getting so much stiffer like that and is such an active person.
In Reply to: Re: My mother's knees (Archive.) posted by Walt Stoll on October 06, 2002 at 09:48:28:
Hi Dr Stoll, thanks so much for your suggestions. I've arranged for my mother to get the supplements you mention, and also investigated the underwater exercises - unfortunately we're in England which is sadly lacking in community facilities (any facilities actually) these days - but I have found such exercises in my area, so am going to take her to them here.
I also want to thank you for your comments to someone else about fractures of the scaphoid bone which I read when I posted my question. My 15 year old son broke his left arm last week for the second time this year, a distal radius fracture treated in March by manipulation and plaster cast for 10 weeks, but last week by open reduction and internal fixation with 1/3 tubular plate and plaster cast. This time he also broke a bone in his right hand, and originally we were told it was the scaphoid and the arm was put in a POP scaphoid cast, it was late at night by this time and the young A&E doctor had been on duty for hours and was continuing until the morning pre-surgery meeting. I couldn't understand why he kept sending us back and forth for more x-rays and re-plastering, I just wanted to get my son onto a ward and settled for the night prior to his op in the morning. The next day we were told new x-rays showed that the A&E doctor had been looking at the wrong bone and it was in fact a greenstick fracture of the 1st metacarpal. I was rather disgusted that a doctor could get something like that wrong. However I had no idea of the seriousness of a scaphoid fracture until I read your comments, so wanting reassurance at the outpatients clinic yesterday I asked to see the x-rays and discussed the matter again with the same doctor who'd been on duty that night. He explained the likely consequencies of a scaphoid fracture and that he knew something was fractured but couldn't see what on the original x-ray, so decided to err on the side of caution. Thus you not only made me realise that all fractures are not equal, but also that young, overworked junior hospital doctors do know what they're doing, and do try to treat their patient in the best way possible. It's a shame that the same can't be said of most other doctors I've encountered in my long quest for health!!
Many thanks again,
Helena
In Reply to: Re: My mother's knees posted by Helping You on October 06, 2002 at 15:06:59:
Thanks very much for this suggestion HY. I've now done some reading on prolotherapy, and although there are no practitioners in this area I think there should be some in London so could take my mother there. I would imagine she could achieve a similar effect by using heat around the knees to draw the blood there, although the reaction would be more to the heat than to an inflamation. This sounds very similar to an accupuncturist I used to go to who put a smouldering stick of fragrant herbs on my shoulders to draw the blood there and free the joint.
Again many thanks, Helena
In Reply to: Re: My mother's knees (Archive.) posted by Helena on October 10, 2002 at 19:11:33:
Thanks, Helena!
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: My mother's knees posted by Helena on October 10, 2002 at 19:22:39:
Heat therapy can be very helpful but not to the degree that prolotherapy is. Prolotherapy puts precise inflammation (benefical inflammation) where it is needed most. Ligaments have a poor blood supply, even with good circulation. Accupuncture has never been shown to rebuild tissue but prolotherapy routinely rebuilds worn, torn, weak, and damaged tissue. It's worth it if you can get the treatment
-HY
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