My knees have never been the best. I acquired two football knees without playing the sport—the first time to fail me was when I was about 12, stepping over a barbed wire fence, thank goodness in jeans, but a mile from camp. Leg just quit, with a nasty cracking sound, and I fell, managing not to suffer from the barbed wire—really tough jeans, those. Had to be helped back to camp by my three friends, a long and labored hike. Happened again a few years on, midsentence while talking to a friend at a band contest. Crack. And I was so startled I finished the sentence on the floor. I have for most of my life not trusted stairs, never had it fail on stairs, but worried it would. Always hold the handrail. And when the knee would go, it would lock up and refuse to move after about an hour. My dad once did try to move it, and it was, yes, quite frozen. A day later it would move. And take about half a week to heal, with compresses and babying. Then it would be fine.
So—what’s my college sport? Fencing. Which you do with knee bends, deep knee bends, backward and forward, and more knee bends. I developed fencer’s muscle on the front of my shins, no question. And never have had it fail since.
So…I’m retrieving the garbage bins from the front, up the 4 steps, and the big blue one is unwieldy and hangs. I gave it a tug, while making a step, and the back of my leg (a new spot) felt as if something had torn and let my knee separate just a tad more than it likes to. Ow. Well, I figured I should walk it off, so I finished the job and hauled the brown one up, and I was fine until it came to the 3 front steps. A little ouchiness there. More than a little.
I came in and told Jane, and sit here now on 3 Advil and an icepack under my knee with my foot propped up. No pain, in this position, and being all soft tissue, maybe it will just fix itself. I give this a few days before I tootle off to the sports med guys up at the clinic, but hopefully it’s just something I need to watch, or just a freak of the instant. Boo hiss.
Anyway, I’ll survive. But I think among the chores I’d like Scott to do, one of them may be the installation of a handrail on the right side of the front steps. It has one on the left, but I think one on the right would be prudent.
Oh, ow!
(I have one that doesn’t like steps. Down is merely difficult; up can be remarkably painful, where it can sometimes feel like my shinbone is going to come straight up through the knee. And I can’t kneel at all, or have weight on that knee with it bent more than 90 degrees, without it trying to lock.)
Taking stress off the knees is why I want that new railing. They are my least favorite body part.
After 4 knee surgeries, 1 arthroscopic and 3 replacements, I can assure you, you don’t want your knees to fail you.
Fortuitously, our house is all one level, with the exception of a half step up from front and back lanai. I can, however, see the attraction of eventually putting in grab bars in strategic locations. Those dumb ads for walk in tubs also pop to mind, when stubbing toes on the glider for the enclosure. Nothing more than lightly crunchy knees so far, but I’m sure some type of physical breakdown will make its presence known sometime.
After my father had a stroke (damaged his balance), he put in a chairlift on the basement stairs – himself – and before that he designed and had my brother assemble handrails in the bathroom (both sides of the euphemism, and one was convenient for getting in and out of the tub). 1-1/4 inch (a little over 3cm) steel pipe, bolted to the wall and to the floor, and with a flange against the ceiling.
The rails were good for holding towels ready, too.
After I broke my ankle, I’ve been much more appreciative of handrails.
I have TMJ, temporomandibular joint, that usually just causes clicks and pops as I eat. Wednesday I dislocated it as I tried to eat a piece of hard salami. It popped back in Thursday night, but still wants to come out if I yawn. Apparently it’s not much a real good joint. It slides as well as rotates in normal use.
CommentTry Feldene for that TMJ.
“Wikipedia – Compared to other NSAIDs it is more prone to causing gastrointestinal disturbances and serious skin reactions.” Thanks for the suggestion but, since I already have IBS, I’ll stick with my Etodolac and Ibuprofen.
Ow! Having broken my left kneecap and having had two surgeries on it, I hear you loud and clear. Grab bars in strategic locations in the convenience (bathtub particularly) would be another good task for the doughty Scott. My left knee has been getting more and more painful of late. I’ve been taking diclofenac for it which has helped (I’m taking it in pill form, but it does come in cream form for topical application). Boy, do I know when it wears off!
Also if you do end up among the sports medicine folk, ask about exercises. I did seated and recumbent exercises with ankle weights to strengthen the muscles around both knees. (Still got the ankle weights. Need to start using them again.) There should be a way to get your fencer’s shins back without fencing or the risk of falling.
I get the impression some people here are starting to think about adapting their bathroom, to make it easier and safer to get in and out of the bath.
In that case, I can recommend looking at what we got for my mum. It’s a lot less known than the usual rebuilding solutions, like getting rid of the bath and changing it into a shower with a (fold-out) stool, or even a bath with a door so you don’t have to step over the high edge.
It’s a lot cheaper, and you can just keep on using your present bath, if you can sit down and get up from the height of the bath’s side, i.e. about chair height.
It’s an inflatable pillow with a remote control, that suctions onto the bottom of the bathtub at one end. It inflates to the height of the bath edge; you sit down on the edge and the cushion, lift and swing your legs inside the bath.
While you’re sitting on the pillow, let out the air with the remote control, and it lowers you into the bath.
Mom used a wall handle that vacuum-suctioned itself to the bathroom wall tiles, no drilling needed, to help hold herself steady while rising and lowering herself, and to give leverage while turning.
When you’re done bathing, wriggle back and sit up on the pillow, and re-inflate it with the remote control. Turn and lift your legs out of the bath, so you’re sitting on the edge of the tub, before standing up.
It not only avoids the necessity of getting down and up so far (helpful if knees or hips are having trouble), it also avoids the possible dizzyness from getting up from a hot bath quickly – your blood circulation has a chance to adjust to the chairsitting position before you get up, instead of going straight from prone to standing.
The airpump works on a battery which you charge elsewhere in the house; for safety it’s not connected to the mains while in the bathroom.
https://www.scouters.nl/hulpmiddelen/opblaasbare-badlift-mangar/
This links to a Dutch page about aids for the bathroom, but the video at the bottom which demonstrates the aircushion bath lift is spoken in English.
Having had both knees replaced, I firmly believe that railings are good things.
A couple of things: My mother had a bathtub/shower and when it became difficult for her to get in I made a bridge like bench that she could sit on and slide over the side of the tub.
And on knees, mine are bad as well-cartilage loss-and I have found Toradol injections have provide me with months long relief from pain. They aren’t much fun-giant needle-but a couple of minutes of discomfort is a fair tradeoff for months of pain free walking.
I spent yesterday in bed and Jane did the (excellent) cooking. I’m still a little sore today, but I think it’s on the mend. I think I may have had a ‘baker’s cyst’, a pocket of fluid that can accumulate on the backside of the knee—actually rupture. The knee is now readjusting to its absence and is not entirely stable, so I’m being careful, but at least I don’t think I tore a ligament.
CommentI am pretty sure that is what happened to my knee a few months ago – 3 miles into a 6 mile hike, and 2 miles from home. Something in the back just popped, just like the meniscus did on a two day hike in the Pyrenees 20 years ago, I sprang into the air with shock, and then had no option but to keep walking. I did go to the doctor, because I too have had several knee surgeries and I’m 62. She did an x-ray and found nothing except what looked like a cyst on the back of my knee – just as you describe – but there was no treatment other than icing and rest and Advil. The knee hurt for a week or two, but I was soon mobile and it recovered fine. Of course, it went out again after I ran 3 miles for the first time in years,so I am not running any more 🙁
I have Baker’s Cyst – not much fun – especially when it drains down the leg – much pain until it is absorbed. It does come from the chocolate but from an English Doctor who first identified it in the middle of the 19th Century.
I have never fully trusted my left knee after it and do stairs always with my right leg leading. My Granddaughter does also as she lives with me and observed my using my right leg.
Hang in there.
or popped a meniscus. Not as drastic as a ligament tear, but it is still something of concern. They don’t heal themselves. Mine started with a motorcycle accident, went undetected for 13 years (they didn’t have MRIs in 1986), during which time, I was a regular runner, about 5 miles a day. Two months before I retired from the Navy, they did arthro on that knee, removed part of the medial meniscus in my left knee. Six years later, the whole thing gave way and they ended up having to do a replacement. First a partial, then because of the cement failing, they had to revise the joint and redo the whole thing as a total replacment. One thing led to another and four years later, the other knee went out probably due to compensating for the first one. We didn’t bother with a partial, she did a total replacement and I’ve had no trouble to speak of with my knees. I can’t sit Japanese style, seiza, but my kendo teachers understand that and it’s allowable for me to kneel.
One sincerely hopes that your knee issues don’t culminate in major surgery.
Sorry for veering off topic, but dad’s birthday is getting closer.
I just used the Donate button on Closed-Circle to pay what I’ve guessed would be the price for book + postage to get him the signed hardcover of Emergence. I put my address in the comment for the donation as well.
Did this arrive in good order, and would it be possible to send the book off in the post by February?
Yes! Absolutely. We will get it taken care of…and do nudge me by next week to be sure we got it done. I just had a dental bridge fail and I’m going to be running back and forth to the dentist over the next few days.
Just heard on KOPB that Ursula died yesterday.
It’s all over the news right now.
http://file770.com/?p=40158#comments
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ursula-K-Le-Guin-acclaimed-for-her-fantasy-12519529.php
The story of your 1st knee episode and barbed wire fence led me to feel very happy you did not connect with the barbed wire because I was reminded of my brother, Mark’s incident. We lived on a hill with a pasture between the house and the bottom and the lower fence was a fairly low strand of barbed wire (electric), Mark was 14 and invincible so he figured he could hurdle the fence and just did not quite clear it and got tangled with barbs ripping into the back of his calf all the while shocking him like mad. Fortunately my father saw it and was able to get to him fairly quickly. He had over 100 stitches; I know he still cringes at the memory, I know I do.
You take care on those steps, our weather has had some icy slick days with more to possibly come. I have my fingers crossed we might have a fairly mild winter with February fast approaching!
If you look at the comments, Ms. Cherryh’s readers are a medical disaster. Are we all getting old together? Surely there is a next generation concerned with both Ms. Cherryh and her works.
We just lost Ms. Le Guin. Hang in there please.
well I have only read a couple of her books but now I’m going to have a proper go – the first 4 of earthsea just arrived – a proper brick ..
and on knees – yes me too … I’m 67 and thought i had got away with the first cracks and creaks and difficulties on stairs by starting glycosamine etc … okay for 2 years or so. then I got my rescue spanish hound. she was quite shy at first, had to lift her to get her in the gate, and in the car. still have to for the car, she really does not appreciate car trips. 20 kilos. so first the ligament joining my quad muscle onto my right knee starts to get iffy – squatting difficult – then I buy some completely flat walking boots – vivo barefoot – oops, THAT was a bad idea. I didn’t realise what was going on for a couple of months. have to say the company is brilliant, they gave me my money back on them after 3 months! but poor old knee quite swollen and touchy. some days I can walk down stairs normally in the morning. doing yoga and walking around a thick rug on my knees definitely helps. my chiro says the top of the fibula is coming too far forward and rubbing on the patella. I can feel something around there is moving, for sure! but still walking at least 3 miles a day with dog. it’s mostly pain free walking. AND Cj and Jane, have you seen the film about Tonya Harding the ice skater? I, Tonya. it is fascinating. won’t say more ……