Chronic Knee Pain

Two years ago I did some sort of damage to my knee by overextending my leg in a high kick. I never did see a doctor because the pain had subsided by the time I got back home the following April so I'm not sure what damage was actually done.

I believe that the inside tendon either stretched or tore because that's where the majority of pain came from. Believe me, it was acutely painful for a matter of close to 2 months before the pain gradually ebbed away.

I've babied this darned knee ever since then because, although I'm mainly pain free now, just the slightest twisting reminds me that my knee is no longer as stable as it once was. I feel very fortunate that it's healed as well as it has but I take no chances.

People have told me that once a senior damages their knee it will only deteriorate from then on until corrected with surgery. Since my injury appears to be in the tendon and since it is about 95% pain free, I feel that knee surgery is just a distant possibility only if I accidently twist it badly again.

If I was younger and considerably more physically active there would be more chance of causing further damage but I'm old and "fluffy" so it's not difficult for me to take care of my knee. I always put a pillow under it when I have to kneel on the floor and I'm very careful to not twist it in any way.

When you are young and suffer an injury, you have no doubt that you'll fully recover in time. But old bones, tendons, and tissues don't recover so easily. This is one of the not so good realities of growing old. Also, sometimes injuries which occurred in our youth that seemed to have healed completely at the time come back to haunt us in old age.

When you think of it, our bodies are very tender items and should be treated with respect all of our lives. They're all we have to carry us around until the day we die.