Skiing and Arthritis

[snow addict]

Good luck! Still more than a month till January so you have time. It's basically the inflammation that you need to bring down at the moment, once it happens there should already be a good difference. Avoid lifting heavy things too.

 

[COchick]

Add me in to camp knee problems! I had surgery on my left knee 4 years ago for a meniscus repair. I fractured my tibial plateau on my right knee two years ago (no surgery, healed naturally). After recovery and PT and getting into a very regular yoga practice combined with lots of hiking, my legs were feeling great and I was skiing better than ever.

A few weeks ago I started noticing fluid building up in my left knee, and it was really uncomfortable. Went to the ortho last week and he did a cortisone shot in the knee (no one told me it would hurt like hell for 2 days to walk on after that!) and I start PT tomorrow. His "diagnosis" at this time is osteoarthritis, but said that after I finish this round of PT we'll reevaluate and see if an MRI is needed in case of another meniscus tear (potentially the repair is re-torn?). My ski season is supposed to start January 9th so I'm REALLY hoping that things improve enough for me to get out there.

Point is, it's a crap shoot. I always use a brace while skiing (I use the Mueller Hg80 - have had this for 3 years and love it). I also wear compression tights - I can totally tell a difference when I don't. So with the tights and the brace, it helps to get through a ski day though I do have to rest a tad more often than I used to, and religiously dose with Advil and ice after every ski day.

My knee feels pretty good now, and it will be interesting to see how PT goes. I totally empathize with all the ladies here who are trying to get through some injury and get on those skis! I will be devastated if I have to cancel my trip since we are going to totally new places this year. I'll be following this thread to see how it goes with everyone... it's good to know others are dealing with similar problems and can still get out there. Thinking good thoughts for all!

 

[altagirl]

I've never has a cortisone shot, but my husband said the same, that it was miserable for 48 hours or so and then helped a ton. His was successful though and pretty much permanently solved that issue.

That said, keep in mind that you can't do very many of them or the repeated exposure to cortisone will dissolve your tendons. I have a friend having hip surgery next week. She's extra sensitive to it and two cortisone shots resulted in her needing major surgery. Very out of the ordinary, but still scary.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

My body is so sensitive that pain from the needle lasts months and so defeats the purpose.
Cortisone warning: More than three shots can result in cataracts!
+1 on avoiding picking up heavy items-further aggravates the knees.
Thanks for all the helpful hints, divas!

 

[merrydog]

Same here. I know the backs of both of my patellas looked like spaghetti squash on the pictures from previous knee surgeries. They cleaned it up as well as they could (basically just shaving off the frayed bits), but it's not like that stuff grows back.

Altagirl, how are your knees in dance classes? I find different styles (ballet) are kinder to my knees than others (modern, jazz).

 

[altagirl]

Altagirl, how are your knees in dance classes? I find different styles (ballet) are kinder to my knees than others (modern, jazz).

I have only taken ballet and bellydance so far. And ballet is easier on the knees in general, but it depends on what we are doing. But at its worst, the bellydance things that have been irritating (low squats and a few turns) only last 24 hours or so.

 

[Divegirl]

I finally saw an ortho surgeon about 2 weeks ago - having my knee scoped on 12/18. The surgeon could not find any of issues the ortho PA said I had - ligament strain, arthritis (maybe a tiny bit around the knee/femur area), torn cartilage and so on. Apparently my MRI was very "underwhelming" (his words) but he feels the swelling is actually blood pooling in my knee and he wants to find out why along w/ some tendonitis on the inside of the knee. If it is blood, it may go back to my header over my handle bars this summer when the back of my left knee turned black about a week later.

I am continuing w/ PT as they are stretching out my knee and working on range of motion and it feels very good. Also, PTers feel it will help shorten the recovery time if I keep on w/ the stretching and strengthening of the knee and hip muscles prior to surgery. I also hope to have the bone spur taken care of, too. I expect to be skiing around late January

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Wishing you the best of outcomes!

 

[COchick]

Good luck! Your story gives me hope!

 

[VickiK]

Those pesky knees. Good luck from me too.

 

[snow addict]

Good to hear! Good luck!

 

[Divegirl]

As I sit here with an ice pack on my knee - here's an update - I had the knee scoped in Dec just before Christmas. Massive arthritis inflammation. The surgeon cleaned up a bunch of loose and frayed tissue. The recovery has been slow. PT has helped alot - my range of motion is almost back to normal and the swelling is beginning to go down. Still no high impact activities as I am still using a cane. My therapist has written me a pool session so I do water PT 2x week and office PT 2x week. This week we finally turned a corner w/ the swelling and I am beginning to feel like I am walking normally. I saw my surgeon today and he is very happy with my progress and I will see him in another 6 weeks. The arthritis will be controlled w/ cortisone shots when needed.

Sadly, I had to make an executive decision about skiing - no skiing. While my surgeon has said go for it when I feel like it (PT very much against it), I have lost a lot of muscle tone (left quad has some atrophy) and my stamina and endurance have declined. I do not want to re-injure the knee as that makes surgeons very unhappy. I will spend the winter getting myself back into regular activity/shape with plans for softball, biking and hiking and what not in the Spring. My home mountain will credit my pass towards next year. My lovely new jackets will each get a day out of the closet but the new pants and helmet (metallic turquoise - so looking forward to wearing it) will have stay in til next year. I pat my skis on their tips and boots on their toes and tell them "wait til next year".

Sorry for the long post. Thank you to all of you for your encouragement and suggestions, it has been comforting to know I was not alone and that I could resume skiing w/ arthritis. You gave me ideas and suggestions to think about, research and talk to my doc about.

 

[VickiK]

I am beginning to feel like I am walking normally...I do not want to re-injure the knee...My home mountain will credit my pass towards next year.

All this sounds smart and good. The Weekend Warrior podcast (Dr. Klapper) recommends pool work and cycling for knee issues. Best wishes in building up your legs!

 

[AltaEgo]

Dive girl,
Hope you are skiing, or at least making progress medically toward doing so. I have a replaced left knee. The big joke around ski school was that I skied better than I walked! (And I did. I put off the knee replacement too limping, and it took a full year to stretch out that tendon to regain normal extension.)

My best advice...get someone who does sports medicine and/or skis themselves. Only they can truly appreciate what skiing means to you and how much "no skiing" is not an option. Be aggressive and ask about other options.

Hope you are doing well...

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

I agree with @AltaEgo. After my knee scope 3 years ago, I returned to skiing in six weeks and racing in seven. This past year I shattered my femur and had a titanium rod put in thru my knee. The most progressive thing I've done is return to skiing. I've done nearly 12 months of therapy, but the one thing that seems to help the most is skiing! Keep moving, whatever you do! I too, ski much better than I walk!!! Get someone in sports medicine or who skis themself!!!!!

 

[JaneB]

I've been skiing with OA . It showed up about two years ago. I'd had an ACL repair and meniscus trim about ten years ago. We now know that OA is likely to follow down the road . It did.
The OA symptoms are intermittant. That's good news. I've used some PT, to not much avail. I also had a cortisone injection and Synavisc. I can't say that either made a dramatic difference. I do ski with an OTC brace and compression tights. I think the tights help. I also take an anti-inflammatory when I ski.
I ice the knee when it swells (Baker's cyst), which is not very often. Cycling helps. So does hip-strengthening. Quad and hamstring strengthening help.

 

[Jilly]

I think I'm going to look into the compression tights. I'm just worried that they are not enough insulation for our climate in Canada.

 

[altagirl]

I think I'm going to look into the compression tights. I'm just worried that they are not enough insulation for our climate in Canada.

There's no reason you can't wear another layer over them. I do that when it's really cold.

 

[Jilly]

Geez....then I'll need to lose another 10lbs...lol....but it might be something to try.

 

[altagirl]

Geez....then I'll need to lose another 10lbs...lol....but it might be something to try.

The compression tights don't really take up much space as a layer, so it's probably better than you're imagining!