My knee won't bend....

[Meemur]

I'll share my story quickly again: I had sudden and mysterious calf pain, which I had checked out. It turned out to be related to a disc problem in my back (I'll skip all the details). At that point, I had an x-ray, and when that didn't show enough, I paid for an MRI out of pocket at the university, which set me back for awhile. I went to the university, rather than a chiro or someone else who needed to pay the rent.

I wanted to know exactly what was wrong so that I wouldn't cause further damage with incorrect therapies! Now that I know what's going on and likely to happen, I can research and make more informed decisions.

When other people say similar things -- new condition, never had it before -- I suggest getting an accurate diagnosis and then going from there. Extreme "Experiments" could cause further damage (gentle things as Summer suggested won't hurt). Older knees can have several things go wrong with them. Some conditions respond well to home treatments and others will need more serious intervention.

Herbs and supplements can certainly help and may even help one avoid surgery in some cases! But you've got to know exactly what's happening, first, and that's hard to know just from a thread on the Internet. (:

In any case, I hope that you feel a whole series of fast twitches and then the knee unbends and all is well! I do acupressure on myself and that's what happens when I get knots and am able to release them, but the causes of my problems differ from yours, I suspect.

For acupressure, there are a number of books around and probably free information online. I started it by getting chair massages at the mall for $15 and paying attention to what the therapist was doing. (No WISECRACKS . . .it's in public) and now can better help myself for some problems.

[winddancer144]

Try some WD-40, I know what it's for, but I promise it works. When ever my joints don't work right, out comes the WD-40, I spray some on my hands and rub it in. IT WORKS , so u smell like a oil can, it WORKS trust me.

[packyderms_wife]

Try some WD-40, I know what it's for, but I promise it works. When ever my joints don't work right, out comes the WD-40, I spray some on my hands and rub it in. IT WORKS , so u smell like a oil can, it WORKS trust me.

you did know that you can do the same exact thing with olive oil and not end up smelling like a truck engine right? Heat up the olive oil a little bit as the warm oil will penetrate the skin better.

[Oscar Wilde]

Try some WD-40

I recall an older conversation in which Cappy and others were proponents of WD-40. I've gotten relief using DMSO.

.... For acupressure, there are a number of books around and probably free information online.

Acupressure is sorely underrated ....

O.W.

[Little RedRidingHood]

There is a great doctor in a town about 75 miles north of me. He is a MD but also a herbalist, and a Chinese trained, German trained accupressure and puncture doctor.
Since I have a very damaged back there are times I can not walk or get out of bed.
BUT, I am happy to say ... that after three appointments with the Doc ... I have not had those types of days since.

Not even when I got runover by a mare and her 8 month old foal!!

This type of treatment worked wonders for me and I swear by it totally!!

[Meemur]

Acupressure is sorely underrated ....
O.W.

It's also extremely inexpensive when one is working on one's self. I was getting interested in acupuncture, but this technique gives many of the benefits without requiring needles.

It's not for all conditions, but it's been useful for loosening muscle cramps due to back and knee problems that throw off one's gait.

[Summerthyme]

For those interested in learning how to do acupressure/trigger point therapy, look for the book called "Pain Erasure" by Bonnie Prudden. It's an excellent primer, and tells how to do the work on yourself, if you don't have a partner to help.. even for "hard to reach" areas like your back.

I do it on hubby all the time, and it often makes the difference between a good night's sleep, or a restless night tossing and turning in pain. Because of my fibromyalgia as well as old orthopedic injuries, I will sometimes end up working on really bad spots in the middle of the night, and it lets me get back to sleep.

When I first started working on hubby (who fell 40 feet off a silo 30 years ago, and suffered multiple fractures of his spine, leg and ankle and foot), he had literally dozens of really bad "trigger points". After several sessions, we got it down to about 6 regular spots, and while he'll never be completely painfree, we're able to keep him comfortable enough so that he outworks most men 30 years younger than him on a regular basis.

If you have a problem like grpwer reports in the original post, you're likely to develop trigger points in the affected limb, AND in your "sound" leg, because of compensating for the problem. Using trigger point therapy can help keep it from developing into an even bigger chronic problem.

Summerthyme

[Oscar Wilde]

For those interested in learning how to do acupressure/trigger point therapy .... if you don't have a partner to help.. even for "hard to reach" areas like your back....

Summerthyme

I've used these for reference for a number of years as well: http://www.amazon.com/Acupressure-Co...0266282&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Reflexology-Wo...0266372&sr=1-1

If you're going it solo, a tennis ball, handball or golf ball can get to the hard to reach spots on your backside.

O.W.

[Caregiver]

Grower, How is it today?

My knees will lockup when they are exposed to cold, damp weather. The only thing that helps is dry heat. If I remember to take stinging nettle daily, I seem to be ok. Now with winter coming, I have to remember to add those in with my other daily vitamins.