Will my knees last till 80?

Triathlon Forum
1

Someday I want to be doing IM’s against guys a fourth of my age. But, I’m afraid that at this rate my knees will be shot by 30. I’m 24.
Yesterday the orthopaedic surgeon told me that I should either quit running or have surgery if I want my knees to last any reasonable amount of time. I’m not only bummed by this news, I’m unsure what to do. I need some input from people who have dealt with chronic knee problems before. I have mal-alignment of the patella and a lateral release procedure is recommended to correct it. My kneecap is too far to the left and the connecting ligament on the outside must be lengthened, basically.
Has anyone had this problem or surgery. I need to decide in the next couple of days. Thank you to anyone who can help.
You can reply or e-mail me at:
zach_c_brown@hotmail.com

Zach Brown

2

It’s sounds to me like it could be chondromalacia patella. You’ve either got it really bad or the ortho seems a bit knife happy to want to operate on somebody 24 yrs old without first trying some conservative treament.

The way I’ve treated them is with some strengthening exercises and custom orthotics. During the acute phase I use low volt treaments and recommend ice to reduce inflammation. If none of this works then consider surgery, not before. Here is a site explaining this condition, assuming that is what it is. http://veggie.org/run/chondromalacia/

3

A couple of things to add to my original post. There is a flexible knee brace available that is designed for this condition. Some people claim that taking glucosamine sulphate can help. You should really consider finding a good physiotherapist or chiropractor who is familiar with sports injuries and try a more conservative approach first. It’s up to you but in my case I’d would certainly try everything else before letting someone take the knife to my knee.

4

Thanks, I’ll check out the link. When I was in high school I had the same problem and after intense physical therapy it did not hurt. I want to know other options than knee surgery. Thanks.
Zach

5

I had this surgery in January of 2000, at 31 years old, and I believe I’m better off as a result of it.

Prior to the surgery, I had struggled with knee problems all my life (pain, clicking, etc.) but no doctor I saw was ever able to help me. Looking back on it now, it’s clear to me (and should have been clear to the doctors!) that my problems resulted from my flat feet and my tendency to overpronate (i.e. I have feet that roll to the inside). When a person’s feet roll inward, his or her knee rotates inward, and this causes a misalignment of the kneecap, forcing it to track to the outside of the leg. Many years of running, biking, and skating with my kneecap tracking to the outside finally took their toll.

I believe that the last straw (and “biggest straw”) for me was switching to clipless pedals. These pedals cause a person’s foot to be clamped hard into a “flat” position, and with the foot clamped hard and the hip held (relatively) stationary, the knee is the thing that gives. Or, in my case, gives out.

I had the surgery in January, and in June of that year I did an off-road triathlon involving a 30-mile mountain bike and a seven-mile run. I finished very comfortably. I occasionally suffer from some stiffness in my knee, and sometimes (rarely) I have pain while doing weight-bearing exercises to strengthen my VMO/quads. But, the good news is that I have virtually no pain or other ill effects while biking or running, and I’m free to train for and compete in whatever event appeals to me.

To prevent future problems and/or problems with the other knee, I now use Specialized Body Geometry shoes (which provide “anti-pronation support”) and Big Meat wedges to correctly align my foot to my Speedplay pedals. Beware the conventional “wisdom:” Floating pedals alone will NOT help you if your problem is the same as mine! (They do help, but there’s more to it than that.)

My advice is simple: Try to correct the bio-mechanical problem before you decide to have the surgery. Get the proper running shoes, get your feet connected to your pedals properly (most important!), and make sure the entire “kinetic chain” is properly aligned. If these things don’t help you, surgery is always an option. In my case, it was probably too late for these fixes, and the damage had already been done. However, if I’d known 10 years ago what I know now, I’m confident that I could have avoided the surgery.

I’ve tried to be brief here, but I’d be happy to answer questions or provide more details to anyone who would find the information helpful.

Best of luck!

6

Thanks a lot for the advice. Your thoughts and input help a lot. Thanks for not being brief - I appreciate it.
Zach

7

I’d get another opinion or two.

My wife had a lateral release about 6 years ago and has regretted it since.

Good Luck

Dave

8

Zach:

It’s hard to be too helpful online without seeing you or your xrays, but in general I agree with cerveloguy’s post above that says you should try nonoperative measures 1st. It sounds a little like your surgeon implied that you must have a release to avoid disability - this would be unusual. It’s sometimes a good (and simple) operation in carefully selected patients with the right xray findings, but even then I usually tell people that it will help but not cure. You don’t need to rush in.

Deke

9

anyway, senor - to answer your question. . . . . .no, your knees will not last until you are 80, provided YOU make it to 80. that would be a sucker’s bet. here’s to taking a dirt nap at a reasonable time, and leaving a decent looking…well, you know.

10

How are the knees?

11

anyway, senor - to answer your question. . . . . .no, your knees will not last until you are 80, provided YOU make it to 80. that would be a sucker’s bet. here’s to taking a dirt nap at a reasonable time, and leaving a decent looking…well, you know.

That sounds unreasonable, I expect mine to last till I’m at least 90. Although I don’t have the OPs condition and only took up Triathlons in my 60s.

12

How are the knees?

Hasn’t logged on since 2005, so I doubt you’ll get an answer.

13

Please don’t do it without exploring all options! Is your Doc fellowship trained in sports medicine OR have extensive experience getting athletes “back in the game?” If not, run fast the other way. I am not a doctor and have not seen your knee; but, I was told a similar thing at about your age. I injured my knee in high school football. Today it would have been scoped, but then the scope wasn’t readily available and open surgery would make the cure worse than the injury. Then, in grad school was told I needed it scoped or I’d never be able to run more than a 5K. A PT friend gave me some exercises which I did religiously. Now, more than 30 years after that I have done lots and lots of triathlons, marathons, races of all sorts, and next week IM #25. Knees are just fine! And, my dad is still running 5Ks at 83. For both of us the only secret is consistent execution over time.

Best wishes,

14

My grandmother fell and broke her hip - scooted herself about 300 feet to the phone - had the paramedics carry her up a hill that was 4 stories tall (was cobblestone so they couldn’t wheel her up) and then off to the hospital she went. Had her hip replaced at 86 and then her knee replaced a few months after because of the strain from the hip. NOT on the same leg either. She was walking with no help within 6 months.

Her partner was a parajumper in the military (knee impacts like you wouldn’t believe) and fought in the Korean war. He is almost 90.

I think you will be fine haha