Comments on: Running and hip or knee arthritis

By: Molly Brown

Molly Brown — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 04:20:52 +0000

JJ & Kate,
Vital Collagen – my ‘lives to surf and snowboard’ husband swears by it. Is always putting it on my Costco list. I guess I’ll have to find something palatable to put it in – I don’t drink coffee or shakes.
Been running – sorta a – since my daughter was born 29 years ago. Never done a marathon, but one summer did 7 miles three times a week. Too much sun. And didn’t seem to make any difference in sleep or weight. So back to 3 miles, 3 times a week. With the dog. Running with a dog is The Best. Can’t wait for the puppy to hit a year and start her off.

By: Brian E

Brian E — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:34:53 +0000

“What the research into stem cells and arthritis shows is that there are opportunities for stem cell treatment to be used as injection therapy alone and in addition to orthopedic surgical procedures. Successful stem cell therapies thus far have resulted mostly in pain relief and improvement in function or quality of life. Only a few limited early studies have demonstrated improvement in new cartilage or bone formation needed to cure arthritis. Exactly how that cartilage regrowth occurs, or even how pain relief is achieved, is still unknown. That means if you have a stem cell procedure, it will be used to treat the symptoms of arthritis only. The ability to cure the disease entirely is not yet available.” – Mayo Clinic article

ArmyMom, have you looked into stem cell therapy?

The positives– it works, based on reports from those who have used it.

The negatives– it’s not approved, so insurance companies won’t cover the cost, and it’s not a permanent solution. I looked into trying it for my second knee from a pain specialist in Bellevue, Wa. but he charged $5,000 and said based on the fact I was going to continue running, he estimated I would need to have it done every couple of years.

There are clinics around the country that do it for closer to $3,000.

They draw bone marrow from you, spin it to isolate stem cells and then inject those cells into your joint, so the procedure is safe.

After I had my first knee replacement in the fall of 2014 I waited for the knee to heal, and then did a few 5K’s. My Ortho suggested I use a bike for training, and the 5k’s shouldn’t be a problem degrading the artificial joint. The problem was the second knee started hurting enough I couldn’t finish a 5K, except using a combination running/walking. I did a few of those with my grandkids, etc.– but wasn’t worth it.

I will say there have been significant improvements in the replacement surgery between 2014 and 2022. They now target localized pain control rather than oxycontin. I will say recovery is fairly painful, but I tried to avoid as much pain medicine as possible.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-stem-cell-therapy-for-arthritis/

I would say the therapy is already here, it will take time for Orthopedists to catch up, as well as insurance companies. They won’t pay for a $3000-$5000 procedure, but will pay for a $50,000 replacement.

By: ArmyMom

ArmyMom — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 21:42:14 +0000

I have been an avid but slow runner since I was in high school. I have run dozens of 5K’s, 10K’s and half marathons. I only managed to run one marathon and decided that was enough for me. 🙂 I am 58 but just recently went to the Ortho doc because my knees sometimes hurt in a spot that could mean that my meniscus is having trouble. What they found is that I have arthritis in my knees which is catching and slowly fraying my meniscus. The doc said that it is just an unfortunate thing for me and the cause is arthritis and not all the miles. They also said that I am almost bone-on-bone in one knee and that running would cause me to get a knee replacement sooner rather than later. Ugh! So, since I am a super slow runner anyway, I have resorted to walking several miles 3 times a week and am doing some low weight high rep work at my local gym to stay in shape. Doc said that I could do anything that does not actively hurt my knees.

By: neo

neo — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:21:34 +0000

Banned Lizard: Please watch this video with information on hunter/gatherers and their diets.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:13:52 +0000

JJ, I’ll watch for you to post something in a few weeks and report!

By: JJ

JJ — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:55:19 +0000

Good luck, Kate. I hope it works for you.

By: FOAF

FOAF — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:41:08 +0000

I’ll go way out on a limb and say different people are different. Some people smoke a pack a day for life and don’t get lung cancer.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:29:54 +0000

JJ, saw my trainer this morning, and he recommends the collagen, and uses it himself. So I’ll try it for a few weeks and see what I think.

By: om

om — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 18:21:39 +0000

Sugar coma, otay, cough, bullsh*t.

By: Banned Lizard

Banned Lizard — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 17:51:38 +0000

Occasional nuts and berries in season, even less frequently raiding a honey beehive followed by 2 days of sugar coma. Otherwise, hunting skills adapted stone age humans to not only obtaining quantities of food, but eliminating competition – including other humanoids.

“Little else”, “more”, and “most” infer gray areas found in nature. So life goes.