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Thank you, that means a lot to me.I am going to butt in, although I do not qualify. Except I have a very gammy knee. Gammy in the sense that I cannot trust it. And it sends out a message to its pal... I think you have great spirit and I bet you a pound to a penny that you WILL walk a camino again.. chin up!!!
Thank you got this information, Tom. I will message you. I’m doing PT and hoping that my knee gets better over time, but also don’t want to lose years waiting.
Hello again, Camino friends! Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Thank you for writing, Falcon. A 5 km max would be a hard one for me to accept! 15 km, ok, that distance gives you a daily rhythm of covering some ground and getting somewhere...Have you had the experience of limited ability to walk distance after repairs and rehab? Seems like there's not a norm, from what folks are writing here.I suspect you will be Camino-fit again. After repairs and rehab, though, you may have to drastically modify your expectations. The days of 20 km stages may be over. There is nothing wrong with 5 km stages, so mentally prepare for them. Good luck with regaining your mobility.
Thank for this, Icacos! My husband had a total hip replacement, and he's had great results with it. I've also read that walking can help against osteoarthritis. The inclination is to baby a joint in pain by not moving it, but that's not the right way to go from what I'm reading. https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/features/knee-pain-walk#1I empathize with you @sabbott regarding your wish to walk the camino again, and not knowing if it will happen. I have recently been diagnosed with 'mild' osteoarthritis - in my hip - so recently that there's not yet been any talk of a replacement. And, of course, I don't know how quickly my disease may progress. Thank you for starting this thread as I have been wondering if there are people who walk with 'mild' osteoarthritis. I have noticed that I can no longer carry the weight on my back that I used to carry quite easily.
From what others have posted it seems that walking again post-surgery looks to be quite promising and I certainly hope that is the case with you.
In the meantime, if another Camino is not in my destiny, I pray for the ability to accept that with good grace.
All the very best to you.
Encouraging advice, thank you!Most people have little difficulty after the initial recovery from replacement surgery. My sister had a double knee replacement 10 years ago. She made sure she did all of the exercises...that is key...do not baby yourself and take the medication given for Physical Therapy. WE often walk 3 or 4, 20 k days in a row before shortening our walk. Those bio knees are fantastic as long as you do not try running or jumping on them. Why put off the surgery?Get an excellent surgeon who does a lot of them.
Yes, weight is key on those poor delicate knees...I notice my knee hurts more when I'm carrying a heavy bag of groceries. I am hoping I can carry my beloved 15 lb. backpack again, though. We'll see.When I walked the Frances in 2006 I met an Australian woman prob in her 40's who walked the entire route on double hip replacements. Daypack only though, 2 hiking poles. 20 to 25 km per day.
She was very slim. I think bodyweight is a key and strong muscles to reduce pressure on joints.
I put on weight after breaking my foot on the Geneva route and now my R knee is giving me problems. Challenge to shift the weight in your 60s....
This is wonderful advice, Backpack45. Really encouraging. You are right and so is Mark Twain, no use worrying, better to work at getting stronger, including with thoughts toward the future.Hi Sabott, I understand your anxiety because I have had similar bouts of worry and doubt about being able to ever do another hike, backpack trip, or Camino. I am 76 and am planning our 15th walk on Camino trails this year. I have walked more than 3,000 Camino miles over time, but as usual I have some challenges going on. I won't give you the full recital, but l have an apparently ongoing issue with my left leg (for which occasional steroid injections are working) and a new issue with upper back muscle pain. If it isn't one dang thing it's another!!
Lurch, thank you for this!Like I tried to at earlier, you are the only person who can judge if you can make it. But far better to have tried to walk the Camino and had to stop than to sit at home and say "I can't do it, so will not try". As John Wayne said, "don't like quitters", so keep plugging away. If you need a new knee, you will know. There will be no doubt in your mind! I GOT FAITH IN YOU, AMIGO!!
OTH86, thank you, this is very helpful and encouraging. I'll look into the exercises you mention. One thing I'm finding challenging is knowing whether an exercise is too much and will hurt a compromised joint, or whether pushing through some stiffness and pain will be strengthening. Running and rowing full-out seem to have damaged my knee, so now the plan is to do PT, and building up to walking longer distances slowly. If things aren't better--not perfect, but better--in a year, then there's the option of surgery. Thanks, forum friends, for helping me think this through.Oh, @sabbott , I'm so sorry to hear this! I loved your comments when you were walking and after, and pray you'll be back on Camino soon!!
I have osteoarthritis in both knees - and everywhere else except hips (so far). About seven years ago, I was told by an orthopedist I'd need my knees replaced. Instead, with approval and advice from my primary physician, I started physical therapy and added more stretches and strength training at the YMCA gym with help from a personal trainer. I also moved out of my 4th floor walk-up to a place with an elevator, avoided stairs for awhile, but continued walking a few miles a day - up hill and down - gently, and started acupuncture on the knees.
Congratulations, Mark, what an accomplishment!Hello, I had total hip replacement on both my right and left hips in 2006. I started in Pamplona September and arrived in Santiago de Compostela the end of October 2017. Hardest thing I have ever done but it was done. Having my hips replaced was when I started hiking. Since weight was mentioned earlier I will let you know I weigh 300 pounds. I wish I weighed 180, but I do not.
I had torn a Achilles tendon on one walk. I stopped to ice it every two hours. Bartenders were very cooperative; I only had to supply the ice bag and they supplied the ice. I used MBT rocker bottom boots to keep the tendon mechanically aligned. I have Parkinson's and arthritis in both ankles. My wife had a knee replacement two months ago, and needs the other one done. For a month she swore that she never would have the second one done. However, as the knee felt better every day, she remembered that without the operation, it would have felt worse each day for the rest of her life. Now she is planning the second one next year!Have you had the experience of limited ability to walk distance after repairs and rehab?
Yes, weight is key on those poor delicate knees...
@sabbot thank you so much for your post. And thanks to everyone for their responses. I thought I was alone in that I couldn’t walk the Camino this year due to knee problems.Hello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Remembering we are all different and react to therapies in different ways, the advice that worked for me was to stretch and exercise to the point of pain, then stop. I found that worked, and that I was able to make continual progress. I did stretches and yoga every morning - now it is every couple of days, and worked out twice a week, now it's once, maybe twice a week. My body needs to rest a bit between workouts.OTH86, thank you, this is very helpful and encouraging. I'll look into the exercises you mention. One thing I'm finding challenging is knowing whether an exercise is too much and will hurt a compromised joint, or whether pushing through some stiffness and pain will be strengthening.
Hi thereHello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Let me start by saying that I am not a medical anything but I do have osteo arthritis in my hip and fingers. I was a competative rower and quite fit. I walked funny, had a horrible painful time going up one flight of stairs and ached all the time. After visiting several doc’s, the consensus was replace the hip when you can’t stand the pain any more, and use pain management drugs in the interum. 6 years later, without the hip replacement, I am hiking the Canadian Rockies, rowing again, boxing, you get the picture. The change? I did research online and read the latest studies on osteo arthritis and came up with a program that works for me (emphasis).Hello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Hello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Hi Sabbott. Sorry to hear about your injury. I injured myself on my first Camino (El Norte) in October 2016, Ilia tibial band/knee. I couldn't do my normal hiking for 7 months. I normally hike twice a week for 2-5 hours all uphill as I live in volcano country. I had a knee replacement in 2012 and climb volcanoes!!! so you can do the Camino if you get a good surgeon and do your therapy religiously. My other knee hurts but not as bad probably because the one they operated one was due to a torn ACL when skiing years ago. Yes, I too have osteoarthritis. A lot of this is mind control. Meditation helps a lot, but the gym is essential to keep the leg muscles strong for knee stability. I have a trainer at the gym three times a week, hike twice a week and swim once or twice a week, and I am 73 years old. I have had back problems since I was 20! so I know what pain is about and what a struggle it is. You can do whatever you set yourself out to do. If I can do it, you can. I did the Camino Norte and then down to Leon to finish on the Frances (which I didn't like) in Sept-Oct 2016 and had my surgery in 2012. However I didn't start hiking until 2015 but was always active. With the right surgery and therapy you should be able to do a Camino within a year if not sooner. I live by two mottos: "Never Give Up" Churchill and "Keep on moving no matter how much it hurts." Buen caminoHello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
I definitely feel your pain. I also had knee surgery in August to repair a torn meniscus. It’s weak, stiff, and it does ache. My other knee hurts worse. I can’t walk much because of severe plantar fraiiscitis. We cancelled out 2017 camino. I am broken hearted to say that our 2018 Camino is on hold pending the health of my knees. I will start with massage therapy next on my foot and knees. Once the foot is better, I’ll be able to walk more than 2 miles at a time to begin strengthening the knees.Hi sabbott, I also think of the Camino everyday and feel your pain. My husband and I commenced Camino Frances in April 2016. We were thoroughly enjoying our walk until a phone call we received whilst in Burgos meant we had to return home to Australia immediately. We booked to complete our Camino for March 2017. In December 2016 I had a knee arthroscopy to deal with a torn medial meniscus. My surgeon assured me that 3 months would be ample time for rehabilitation. This was certainly not the case. We cancelled our trip at the beginning of March as there was no way I'd be able to walk 500km. Bitter disappointment is an understatement. It is now a year since my operation and my knee is worse than it was pre surgery. I still walk daily and attend gym classes but am in constant pain. We are due to return to Spain in March this year to complete our Camino. I am inspired by some of your stories, particularly as I am only 54 years old.
I wish you all the best Karen. Our 2018 Camino is also looking like it may be put on hold.I definitely feel your pain. I also had knee surgery in August to repair a torn meniscus. It’s weak, stiff, and it does ache. My other knee hurts worse. I can’t walk much because of severe plantar fraiiscitis. We cancelled out 2017 camino. I am broken hearted to say that our 2018 Camino is on hold pending the health of my knees. I will start with massage therapy next on my foot and knees. Once the foot is better, I’ll be able to walk more than 2 miles at a time to begin strengthening the knees.
I wish you all the best Karen. Our 2018 Camino is also looking like it may be put on hold.
It’s hard to stay home when your heart and soul wants and needs to walk the Camino. I yearn to walk the Camino. I miss the calm single mindedness I feel on the Camino. I miss the camaraderie, the pulpo, and the peace of mind the Camino brings to me. I miss just walking. I read Camino books and follow this forum and Camino pages on Facebook. I hope to walk in the Fall of this year. But it’s not likely to happen.I wish you all the best Karen. Our 2018 Camino is also looking like it may be put on hold.
I'm glad you're returning to finish, pain or no pain! Best of luck and keep us posted.Hi sabbott, I also think of the Camino everyday and feel your pain. My husband and I commenced Camino Frances in April 2016. We were thoroughly enjoying our walk until a phone call we received whilst in Burgos meant we had to return home to Australia immediately. We booked to complete our Camino for March 2017. In December 2016 I had a knee arthroscopy to deal with a torn medial meniscus. My surgeon assured me that 3 months would be ample time for rehabilitation. This was certainly not the case. We cancelled our trip at the beginning of March as there was no way I'd be able to walk 500km. Bitter disappointment is an understatement. It is now a year since my operation and my knee is worse than it was pre surgery. I still walk daily and attend gym classes but am in constant pain. We are due to return to Spain in March this year to complete our Camino. I am inspired by some of your stories, particularly as I am only 54 years old.
I know how you feel. I just can't wait to get back this fall. I am hoping to do the San Salvador from Leon to Oviedo, hit the Sept festival there and visit a Spanish Camino friend. Then I really want to do the Primitivo, but the olde body won't cooperate I'll just finish the second half of the Norte which I loved. Perhaps we will meet this fall. Buen CaminoIt’s hard to stay home when your heart and soul wants and needs to walk the Camino. I yearn to walk the Camino. I miss the calm single mindedness I feel on the Camino. I miss the camaraderie, the pulpo, and the peace of mind the Camino brings to me. I miss just walking. I read Camino books and follow this forum and Camino pages on Facebook. I hope to walk in the Fall of this year. But it’s not likely to happen.
Keep the faith. If your body is not there, then let your spirit and soul be there. I dream the Camino.I wish you all the best Karen. Our 2018 Camino is also looking like it may be put on hold.
Sabbott , I feel your pain "Literally" ,Ive been 2x on the Camino in two years ( 2014 & 2016) and have made it all the way to Logrono from St Jean. ( being facetious here) , My left knee has stopped me both times because of arthritis and injury . I finished an operation & rehab a couple months ago and am sporting a knee brace now. I have a limp and in slight to moderate pain which I ice away after I walk . The question is " How to finish my Camino which I think of seven times a week , 16 hrs each day". Like you said most likely a knee replacement . My goal is to restart in Logrono in Sept 2018 . Will it happen? Only the shadow knows. Keep plugging .. Joe
Hola, sabbott,Hello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
Hello again, Camino friends! I've been off the Forum for months, but have been thinking about the Camino every day as I continue to paint and write from my memories of the Frances and Invierno in 2016. I was planning to hike from Porto to Santiago last fall--and to hike a Camino every year for the forseeable future--but I had to cancel at the last minute because of a problem with my knee that put me in a wheelchair for three months. Now I am walking again, but my knee's not right (stiff and sore.) The diagnosis is osteoarthritis, with the possibility of a knee replacement in one to three years.
I feel blindsided by having this chronic problem that's limiting my mobility. I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk a Camino, or even hike five miles, again. Not rational, maybe, but that's my fear.
I could use some advice from any of you that's had osteoarthritis, or another chronic joint problem. I don't need medical advice so much as if or how you continued walking in the face of a serious joint problem. Specifically,
--Have any of you kept walking with osteoarthritis? Did it help the condition, or increase your symptoms?
--Have any of you walked a Camino after a knee replacement? How long after the operation were you hiking?
BTW, I didn't have any problems with my knee when I walked 600 miles, this coincided with starting a running program. Maybe running up hills at age 65 wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done...
Thanks for any advice or encouragement you can offer!
My former neighbor is having stem cell therapy for severe back problems. He couldn’t even stand up for more than ten months minutes without having to squat down to take the pressure and reduce the pain in his back. He’s having success though the process is a long one.I am unsure of your location so I do not know if STEM CELL REPLACEMENT THERAPY is available to you.
I am not a medical practioner nor am I advocating Stem Cell Replacement.
However, I met a woman who was beginning Stem Cell Replacement for her knee. She told me that it requires several treatments but after all is done the damaged or absent cartilage will be replaced via this treatment. Thus no invasive surgery being required.
I know what osteoarthritis feels like. When mine starts chewing on me I have found a bit of Voltaren helps. I avoid all other pharmaceuticals if at all possible until the day my other fixes fail.
I have also found yoga to be beneficial. Especially Zen-type wherein a rubber ball is used to open lymph glands.
Good health to you with your healing and your future Caminos.
MM
Oh, I think you may have misunderstood my post.My former neighbor is having stem cell therapy for severe back problems. He couldn’t even stand up for more than ten months minutes without having to squat down to take the pressure and reduce the pain in his back. He’s having success though the process is a long one.
He recommends that you do a lot of research before committing to a particular practitioner. He said there are fraud clinics that just shoot saline in your body and others who don’t know what they’re doing. There are legit docs out there who are actually helping people heal. Just be very careful and do your research on stem cell therapy.
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