Thanks for the responses!
Ronnie's question won't get a response, ever. It's far beyond the scope of Ask The Docs, and the expertise of those on the panel.
Yours should get a response, and if it doesn't, ask TJ to email the docs to take a look, like she's done for others in the past.
Still doubtful, but I'll give it a shot. Mis' well wait till I get the recommendations of the third doc though, for thoroughness. Are any of the BRS docs orthopedists? The Chiros tend to think of everything in terms of kinetic chains and muscle imbalances.
Here's an interesting exchange between a commentator and Dr. Mark (
http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2013/05/06/video-the-principles-natural-running/):
I rarely have knee pain except for when I stop running for months and then start again then the joint feels sore for a few days. My question is am I doing serious damage to my knee by running with no cartilage that may affect me later? By the way I’m almost 56 years old.
Reply
MarkC
February 16, 2015 at 12:22 am
Randy if the cartilage is staying good and no pain then you are good. meniscus likes loading and if done biomechanically correct it will keep it robust and healthy. congrats on the IM finishes! Mark
This seems to jibe with my experience and BA's observations/intuitions. It's interesting that Dr. Mark says that the meniscus likes loading.
Most of those posts were about acute tears. Mine is degenerative. Some of the people had their condition worsen with repairs or meniscectomies where a large part of the cartilage was cut away. I don't think all orthopedists are created equal. It's probably like the Amazon customer reviews, where someone with a bad experience is much more likely to respond.
http://grantland.com/features/kobe-bryant-dr-chris-renna-regenokine-knee-treatment/
Consider an influential 2002 trial that compared arthroscopic surgery for knee osteoathritis to a sham surgery, in which people were randomly assigned to have their knee cut open but without any additional treatment. (The surgeon who performed all the operations was the orthopedic specialist for an NBA team.) The data was clear: there was no measurable difference between those who received the real surgery and those who received the fake one. If anything, those in the treatment group actually appeared worse off than those in the placebo group. Nevertheless, surgeons continue to perform hundreds of thousands of arthroscopic procedures to treat this chronic knee condition.
Sorry I don't have much to add, PRP would probably be what I would try initially if I was in your shoes. Which someday soon I will probably be. I have the same issues in my genes with arthritis, mainly related to doing stupid shit often and not being able to say no.
Again, there's a difference between arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis and for meniscus tears. The influential study comparing sham versus real arthroscopic surgery was for the former. My osteoarthritis, from what I've understood so far, has been caused by the degeneration of my meniscus cartilage, which has exposed the articular cartilage and caused it to wear away. Plus, arthroscopic surgery is kind of a blanket term. It describes a minimally invasive technique using tiny cameras and surgical tools. It doesn't tell you exactly what was done in each instance.
PRP or something similar sounds promising, but probably works best for younger athletes with acute injuries. I would be happy to give it a shot though, if that's what the third doc ends up recommending. Might be out-of-pocket though. Still worth it of course.
Since getting the barbell, I found it challenging to lift the weight off the floor, above my head, then sit down with it. So, I was doing them standing up.
When I was sitting, my butt and feet formed a tripod, feet at about 45' to the body and somewhat close to the body.
I guess once I have the rack put together, I'll have to try it out both ways.
If you have the ceiling space, I'm not sure why you'd want to do them seated. I only do seated presses out of necessity, or out of embarrassment, since I could do them outside I guess. I also form a tripod, but with feet wider, bracing against the power rack, but I still have trouble getting stable.