Question about knee and arthritis

[csb]

Had ACL surgery about 15 years ago. Recently i hurt my knee again and luckily after a trip to the doctor and x-rays etc. it turns out i probably don't need surgery and will be fine in 2-3 months.
However the xray showed i already have signs of arthritis. I was warned of this after the initial surgery but now i know its definately coming. The doctor said by the time i'm 60 it could be pretty bad.
I'm 40 now and am deciding what to do. I play about twice a week and don't really like doubles. Should i (after i heal) try and play for another few years.?
Should i play as long as i possibly can ? Should i start playing doubles instead?
Should i quit altogether?
I know theres no right answe its up to me. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this before.

 

[power_play21]

actually i just studied arthritis in anatomy in a clinical correlate of degenerative joint diseases.

did the doctor mention which type of arthritis you have? from what youve said, its only one knee, indicating it is probably osteoarthritis, which is the most common actually.

since its etiology has a cummulative mechanical wear and tear (i.e. occupational stress), i would reduce activities that put a load on that joint but NOT stop physical activity as that is very imporant for keeping against osteoporosis or worsening weaking of the bone in that region of your knee.

As far as the future goes, if youre worried about it, and the arthritis gets really severe, you can have a knee replacement, which isnt too bad actually, just a wee bit weaker than natural ones.

Your doctor should be able to answer the questions you posted much better than anyone here. Thats where i recommend you go for that type of advice. But if you want my opinion for what its worth (not much yet, not MD yet), try not to overload that joint, play tennis, but not 3 hours of it. Just dont go too intense on that knee to keep it from wearing out that cartilage further.

there could also be a genetic component in which case the person presents a "weaker" version of the cartilage, which leads to premature cartilage breakdown.

any more deeper information is beyond me, and is why you should probably be talking to a doctor about all this, and for all others experience is worth, you know your body the best, your doctor is next, and each case is one case, so, i hope this helps you at least a little bit, if not, well, someone else will read this nad learn about arthritis!

 

[ollinger]

Play some doubles, lose as much weight as you reasonably can to decrease the impact on the knee, don't do any other impact exercise. Knee replacements in the current medical context (which one presumes may be quite different in 20 years) are not very satisfactory for tennis.

 

[chess9]

Ollinger hit on the key, at least as far as I'm concerned. Knee surgery today is far advanced over 20 years ago. In another 20 years, I suspect we will have pretty much licked the arthritis/tendon/ligament issues.

So, when you are 60, you can try to beat me. I'll be almost 85 by then!

Good luck!

-Robert

 

[SB]

Play some doubles, lose as much weight as you reasonably can to decrease the impact on the knee, don't do any other impact exercise. Knee replacements in the current medical context (which one presumes may be quite different in 20 years) are not very satisfactory for tennis.

Great advice ... plus, if you have clay courts nearby, play on them. I've had to adjust my playing downward from five times a week to about three. I quit playing singles matches and hit singles only on clay, only occasionally. I don't jog, and I strengthen using lots of isometric exercises. I take glucosamine ... not sure if it helps, but I figure it won't hurt.

And I pray daily for continued medical advancements.

I figure if I have X hr left in the knees, then I don't want to use them all up TOO soon. I'll spread it out.

 

[csb]

follow up

As a follow up it turns out i have a stretched acl also and the mri definately showed the arthritis present. When i asked the doctor(younger guy who seemed like he cared) about tennis he said he couldn't give me any guarantees but i could play if i wanted to,but suggested if i played singles to try and play differently and not overextend on shots out wide for example.
Well i guess i could have a change of heart but i think i'm done. I couldn't ever imagine playing tennis or any sport for that matter without going all out.

I 'm going to miss it but it looks like its time for a new hobby