My Chronic Knee Pain Led to Surgery

My Chronic Knee Pain Led to Surgery -    It's not fun getting old and having to deal with aches and chronic pain, especially in my knees.  I was a competitive runner throughout my middle school, high school, and college career, and then I continued running and took up coaching into my 20s, 30s, and 40s.  I've run three marathons and thousands of miles training on my own and with my cross country teams.  Those miles caught up to me. As a 54-year-old retired runner, my knees are shot.  

My first visit to South Bend Orthopedics in 2017 to investigate my knee pain resulted in x-rays, an MRI, and a cortisone shot in my right knee.  At that time, my specialist told me that there was no more cartilage in that right knee and my left knee wasn't much better.  Four years later, I visited again, this time because I hurt my left knee while watching my daughter race in a high school cross country meet.  An MRI revealed a torn meniscus and a cyst on the back of my knee.  The result - surgery.  It took over two months to get through this process, and along the way, the chronic pain worsened to the point that I needed a prescription for muscle relaxers to help me get through the work day where I usually recorded at least 15000 steps a day.  

Now, the surgery is over and the recovery has begun.  Today is day two of rest, ice, and some light walking.  The pain is minimal, and I am hoping that the repairs have resolved or at least reduced the chronic pain in that left knee.  However, I know my right knee will need to be replaced at some point since there is no cartilage.  My specialist at the  South Bend Orthopedic Center told me to wait until the pain in that right knee is unbearable.  Then we will replace it.  so, I've address one of my knee issues, but I know that I will be facing more chronic pain in the future as I continue to age.  It's not fun getting old.