I have been having serious pain in my knees for quite awhile now. Being a woman, I've learned to just continue with my life in spite of the pain. However, it all came to a head when I tried to go up my 6 steps to get to my apt and it took approximately 2 minutes, and I held onto my handrail for dear life. I've also noticed swelling, a pop as if my knee was going to lock up, and if I squatted I was unable to rise without holding onto something stationary . It was then that I decided to see an orthopaedic dr. My appointment was this past Saturday and the dr said to me after examining me...'Bria, you have early onset of osteoarthritis, I'm going to order x-rays to confirm.' I immediately broke down. My mother suffers from O.A and has a mean limp, and my grandmother died wit her leg froze in the bent position. Thinking of those as my future fate caused me to cry like Lucille Ball on I love Lucy. The dr., said there's no cure, but I can slow the progress of the disease with physical therapy, exercises at home (and I have to lose some weight-my decision). I refuse to be a victim to this disease and will fight it every step of the way.
For information on Osteoarthritis' symptoms, causes, treatments etc click here
check out Bria's Own Words
And on that note...
