Because I don't want to lose my knee. I hope if I can keep my knee joint as long as possible, they'll have new ways of treating arthritis, and maybe I won't have to get a knee replacement at all. There are stem cell techniques now being developed for regenerating cartilage. So it's becoming possible to actually repair the damage from arthritis. It's possible to get stem cell treatment now, although it isn't covered by insurance.ccwenk wrote:[So... You did not have any pain in your knees, but stopped running b/c of bone spurs and arthritis, and now you are prepared to stop rowing because of arthritis that still doesn't hurt?
I am 29 years old and I have arthritis in my left knee and hip, apparently because of a long-undiagnosed leg length discrepancy and many miles of running. Running bothers my knee and hip now, so I don't do it often. Rowing doesn't bother them, so I row and erg. If you don't have pain, why stop?
It's a big argument for being as kind to your body as you can. It's not fun having a knee replacement. People get them when they can't stand the pain from arthritis any more. Most of them don't bend more than 90 to 100 degrees, which is quite limiting. It bothers me that my arthritic knee doesn't bend like the other one, although I have great flexion compared to a knee replacement. It bends easily to about 135 degrees. I didn't have full extension with that knee either - which is crucial for walking right. But I think I've gotten that back by stretching it. I don't know to what extent you can do vigorous aerobic exercise with a knee replacement. And if you can keep your natural knees as long as possible, even if you have to get a knee replacement, it'll be a better one than you would have gotten a few years earlier. These degradations of one's body, like losing a natural knee and it being replaced with a far inferior mechanical thing, are what getting old is made of.
Laura
