Do you have knee pain? Welcome to the club. You’re among the millions of us. While knee pain can have several different causes, one common cause is arthritis, which I experienced. Today, I’m 89 years old. About 10 years ago, the pain in my knees what getting bad enough to interfere with my tennis. So I did the usual. First, I started applying topical painkillers like menthol. Then menthol plus cannabis.  They worked for about an hour, maybe less. Then came Tylenol which did absolutely nothing, followed by ibuprofen, which actually did work when I took 600mg. right before playing tennis — at least for the first set. After a few weeks, ibuprofen stopped working. Heavier doses might have worked, but would have torn up my stomach. So I began with elastic bands. Some included copper threads which supposedly have some magical properties. The bands sort of, kind of, almost worked a bit for a short time, probably the placebo effect. Then I moved on to injections. First the steroids.  They worked for about three days. Then came the hyaluronic acid (gel) injections, which supposedly act as a lubricant. (This is the same stuff people smear on their faces to reduce wrinkles.) They lasted about a day. Does all of the above sound familiar? It’s the path many knee pain sufferers follow. While I was going through all of the above failed strategies I spoke with a friend about his knees. He weighed more than 400 lbs., and could hardly walk from the knee pain. So he had knee replacements, and now, a month later, was on the tennis courts, bouncing around like a kid. What? A 400lb. man cured in a month? Whoever his doctor was, that’s the doctor I wanted. I asked myself one simple question: “Do I really want to spend the rest of my life in pain, or should I just bite the bullet and have the surgery? I belatedly chose what I should have chosen years earlier: Surgery. I could have saved myself a lot of pain and a lot of bad tennis, too. You should know that “knee replacement” does not usually involve replacing the knee. Most replacements involve merely inserting pads called “prothesis” in three places: On each bone and behind the knee cap, as shown above. I asked my friend to tell me his doctor’s name, and I scheduled a visit. Here is how to choose a doctor for your knee replacement:

1. Talk to people who have had the procedure. 2. Choose a doctor who has done thousands of knees.

Don’t pick the one who does knees, elbows, wrists, ankles, shoulders, and or fingers. Pick the one who does KNEES only, and I mean thousands of knees. My doctor did 60-70 knees a month. I felt confident that when he opened me up, he wouldn’t say, “Oh, my gosh, I’ve never seen that before.” Instead, he might say, “Well, only one in a thousand patients has that rare condition, but I’ve already done a couple hundred of those, so no big deal.” After consulting with, and choosing, the doctor, schedule two things:

1. The operation(s). 2. The rehab.

I advise going to a rehab place, where you can live for two weeks rather than home rehab. The rehab is very important for your recovery, and you want it to take place under the best care where you will not be left to your own lazy devices. Many rehab places are quite busy, so early scheduling is advisable. The operation itself is quick — about a half hour per knee. I advise doing both knees (if you have pain in both knees) at the same time. There is no benefit to doing one at a time. You’re able to walk, immediately. And why stretch out the recovery period? When I woke from the surgery a nurse was standing at my bedside. She said, “Now, let’s walk.” And though I still was a bit groggy, walk we did. Slow, faster, then even up and down stairs — an 80+ year old man walking stairs ten minutes after surgery! Surprising, but not unusual, I was told. The good news is that the pain killer still was in my blood stream, so I felt no pain at all. The next day I would start to feel pain. Here is where you can find some good advice for your recovery period. Read it. Everyone is different. I had pain the first week, but they gave me all the pain killer I wanted. I even had a pain pump at my bedside, and when I felt pain, I pressed a button for more. Total control. Don’t worry, you won’t become addicted because you won’t be on it that long if you’re just taking if for pain. Anyway, you won’t like how icky you feel with those drugs in your body, so you’ll tend to use only what you need. Most insurance requires you to be in the hospital for three days, after which you’ll be able to transition to a rehab facility or home. Again, I recommend the rehab facility for a better recovery. After a week or so, my pain eased considerably, but the rehab hurt. They push you to straighten your leg all the way, and then bend it so your heel touches your butt. Even when you think you can’t do it, they do it for you. Lots of pain for a couple days. I did a lot of groaning. And then the pain eases and eases and after two weeks it’s just about gone. In a month I was back to tennis, and have had no pain since. I can run as well as ever in my life, and looking back I regret not having the surgery sooner. I think the average replacement lasts 10 – 20 years. I’m on my 10th and 11th years with my right and left knees (which, as I said, I should have done simultaneously) and so far, so good. Being 89, there is a good chance my knees will outlive me. Good luck. Rodger Malcolm Mitchell Monetary Sovereignty Twitter: @rodgermitchell Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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