Case Summary  |  Long Battle with Articular Cartilage Damage

Well it all started back in 2002 when I began to notice my knee wasn't moving as it used to. Shrugging this off to part of aging I continued on. However, soon my knee joint became painful and swollen and I decided to see a doctor. I went to many doctors about it until finally in 2005 I was diagnosed after they took an MRI. There was not much that could be done about my knee, especially because I'm a little tight on money at the moment and cannot afford some all the doctor visits. However I have been getting by with plenty of life changes that I implement at home. I do all sorts of exercises to try and reduce stress on my joints. Swimming and water aerobics are especially good. One of the major things that I have done was losing weight. By losing 50 pounds I noticed a large decrease in the pain and swelling. Although, even with all the exercise and weight loss, sometimes it helps just to take a few aspirin, and sit in a nice hot bath/hot tub (heating pads work just as well) and just relax. Overall, the journey I've taken in the past 8 years had been a difficult, but manageable one and in some ways have helped to change my life habits for the better.