Oh my achin' body

[Ken MacGray]

Has anyone here had the pleasure of hiking with osteoarthritis in the knees? About two weeks ago, my already creaky but still somewhat steady knees suddenly took a painful decline after a somewhat rugged and long hike (nothing I hadn't done before), along with some sciatic goings on.

I've been to an orthopedic doc as well as my primary. X-rays were done showing excessive wear in the joints. The primary seems to think there's a couple of things happening. The arthritis in the knees and something with the nerves in the legs. I have no back pain, but they took pictures of the back today just to check.

For now, it's just anti-inflammatories for the pain, which don't seem to be working all that well. I also have a stretching routine and will be starting PT on the 24th. The primary also recommended new footwear. Orders right now are to not hike anything long or steep or rugged. That's pretty impossible for me right now anyway. The whole thing is really bumming me out.

I'm probably looking at knee replacements eventually. I wish I could just get the cortisone shots now. I'd be happy to be feeling like I was a few weeks ago. It wasn't 100%, but I could still move.

 

[RichS]

I can't relate to your specific pains, but it could simply be accumulated effects of rugged hikes and age. Two weekends ago, I did a particularly rugged hike that involved descending Castle Ravine. Nothing overwhelming at the time, but I knew it could take its toll. Since then, and it's gotten better with time, I find that my left knee, which has always been reliable but never 100%, exhibits a twinge of pain when climbing stairs. This is new. I'm 61. Maybe I'll be in your boots in a month or in a few years. I have more than a dozen rugged redline hikes in my ready-to-go list. Time will tell.
Continue doing what works for you. You're comfortable consulting medical experts. So hike your own hike.