25 with bad knees need advice

So heres the deal Im 25 and my knees feel like they are 80, I tore my meniscus alst year ahd surgery, second time riding this season I think I tore my other one on a roll to revert. Ive been riding on it with the help of cortizone sp? but they are both swollen and hurting, Doc told me I had arthritis when I had my last surgery and to be honest Im scared to back cause I know what he going to say. Any advice?

That sucks to hear, time to bust out the skis.

air chair.

Alex, I feel you pal. I have had 2 now boarding knee surgeries from meniscus tears. I started having problems again and I'm on the 3rd of a series of 5 Hyalgan injections. I'm starting to get some relief and the doctor said after 5 I should feel alot better. It is a sort of slick 50 for your knee. It makes the joint work better and I now after the 3rd week in row of injections am starting to feel better. Might be something to look into.

at this point i think it's time to throw in the rag and step-up to one of these filled with trophies...





http://www.dcbracing.com/

Go see a new doctor. I'm not direspecting his opinion, but I would get a second one if its worth it to you.

cortazone (sp) is bad news, They used that stuff 20 years ago they know it does nothin positive. I would go to a new Doc soon. Using that stuff is going to create longterm damage!

get robot legs! if only it were possible to get full functioning artificial limbs. I would chop off my left arm and shoulder and would be pulling some mad darth vader moves.

-Nate

oh yeah, and as allen said before me......Cortizone is definitely bad news.

25 is not bad, My son last year at 15 ACL replaced, miniscus repaired. this year at16 complete tear of the same ACL and the other knee has a slight tear. Two Cti2 braces a bottle of motrin on the boat for before and after riding everyday. He should be a complete wreck by 25, but still wants ride.(Is know on work out progam to build up leg strenght.)

There's hope man...

I've blown the ACL in both my knees wakeboarding. (Right one in 2004, Left one in 2005). Both knees went through full reconstruction. After hours of therapy and LOTS of time in the gym, I'm back wakeboarding (with knee braces). Don't give it up yet.

I'd suggest seeing the BEST doctor you can find. If it requires surgery...get it fixed, work your butt off all winter, and come back next year.

I've had meniscal tears in both knees, 3 surgeries. First one was at 16, last one was at 25, I'm 29 now. Also with arthritis, but only in one knee right now. The other knee does suffer recurring tendinitis. Stay away from the cortozone. Basically it just numbs everything so you can do stuff without pain. Unfortunately that also means you can do a lot more damage without realizing it. Get your knees fixed first if they're damaged. Meniscal tears/torn cartilege (same thing) is a quick-recovery procedure that you can be 100% in 6-8 weeks, IF you religiously follow the plan your physiotherapist lays out for you. That means doing the exercises they give you every day. If you slack off, you'll never fully recover and you're asking to be a cripple by the time you're 30. After you're deemed fully recovered, you have to keep doing those exercises. Because you've got arthritis as well, you'll need to wear a knee brace all the time, that's just the way it is. If you want to keep riding, spend some money on a GOOD brace (or two).

"Basically it just numbs everything so you can do stuff without pain"

Cortisone is not a pain reliever. It reduces inflammation and softens cartilage. However, it's not a good longterm solution.

wakesurf

I am putting an air chair on Ebay if anyone is interested. Perfect for the bad knee bunch. Thanks, Mike

or wakeskate.

Thanks for the advice Im just gonna bone up and go to the doctor.

If you want to keep wakeboarding, invest in two CTI2 custom knee braces by innovation sports. I have not torn my ACL but have torn lateral and medial miniscus and had my knee scoped. I firmly believe that knee braces will help protect your knees I could not wakeboard without these braces. Also go wake to wake with your tricks for softer landings. Also take glucosamine/Condroitinin tablets every day to help with cartlage regeneration. I will soon be 36, have loose jointed knees and still rip it up, compete in tournaments, and my knees are doing great because I take care of them.

I Also tore both my ACL's my left in 04 and right in 05. Patella grafts for both and had about 20% menisciotomy in both.

Verdict is still out on my right knee i'm 8 mths and still some pain but my left is great.

My advise is train legs three days a weak DO NOT forget Hammies and stretch AFTER iding. I find that if you over stretch before riding the muscles get to lax predisposing myself to injury. I'm no Doc but ny legs don't feel good if i stretch too much prior to riding

I cant believe the people telling you to throw in the towel...at 25 no less.

You need to train harder. Overcome the pain. Pay attention to your body and know your injury thresholds but also push the limits of what you are capable of.

A gym routine combined with activites like riding your bike up and down a ski hill (for example) will strengthen the muscles around your injured joints and help them out.

I am 32 and have had 4 knee surgeries and am currently without menisci in both knees.
I have snowboarded over 100 days a year for the past 6 years and have finally gotten back on a wakeboard schedule of 3-4 times a week.

I used to wear braces but have moved onto concentrating on strengthening the muscles around the joint instead of relying on them.

Do my knees hurt?
hell yeah they hurt.

Am I going to let it slow me down or complain about it?
hell no.

One of my good friends is in a wheel chair and
I talked with him about this stuff a few times.
If he had legs he surely would be using them to their maximum capacity, pain or not.
He is one of my inspirations.

Life is short, go out and get it.

EDIT: oh yeah, the advice about not getting shots is right on the money, just another crutch.

(Message edited by eastcoastjedi on June 01, 2006)

Any reco's on best board / binding set-up for a friend with knee pain--she is currently riding Substance 134 with Ultras--wondering if some other bindings might absorb the shock better. Any ideas???