New knee brace

Well since my knee has gone "wonky", my massage lady recommended I get a hinged knee brace. I didn't know there were knee braces with hinges!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000US9HL0/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00267SFKM&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0NGPG723P0TGXYBS48WM

This thing has been helping me quite a lot. She explained that the knee is NOT supposed to move side-to-side at all, it's only supposed to move your lower leg up and down. One direction only! That is why I need the hinges; apparently when I twisted it, I moved it sideways which is not what it is made to do. The hinges on the knee brace allow my knee to still move in a healthy way, but stop me from moving it sideways. This has really been helping me walk and continue my life as usual! Plus, I'll be doing a LOT of walking next week when I'm out of town. So, thumbs up for this knee brace!

D'oh!

I finally went to the orthopedic surgeon who fixed my right shoulder. After examining my left shoulder he proclaimed, "Yep - looks like it's doing the same thing as the right shoulder was." He said we'd pretty much be on the same course as last year with the other shoulder :( I already suspected this, but it wasn't great to hear him say it. Hooooray EDS!!! Looks like shoulder surgery might be on the calendar for 2011. Hey at least 2010 was a year off.

I am starting PT in 2 weeks since I will be away next week. Then, in a month I get to go back and tell him whether the PT has helped. Otherwise, I'll get another MRI and then surgery after that.

Since I was there, I asked him about my knee also. He thinks it's torn cartilage, since the movement seems to be OK. It didn't hurt a lot when he was looking at it, but a couple hours later - owwie! This is good because sometimes torn cartilage can heal on its own! The pain seems to be way less, but I'm still not overly confident walking on it.

Anatomy of knee joint

Time to get to know the knee joint so I can take better care of it.

Introduction to knee joint anatomy The knee joint is the largest joint in the body, consisting of 4 bones and an extensive network of ligaments and muscles. Injuries to the knee joint are amongst the most common in sporting activities and understanding the anatomy of the joint is fundamental in understanding any subsequent pathology.

Bones of the knee joint
The knee is made up of four main bones- the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shin bone), fibula (outer shin bone) and patella (kneecap). The main movements of the knee joint occur between the femur, patella and tibia. Each are covered in articular cartilage which is an extremely hard, smooth substance designed to decrease the frictional forces as movement occurs between the bones. The patella lies in an indentation at the lower end of the femur known as the intercondylar groove. At the outer surface of the tibia lies the fibula, a long thin bone that travels right down to the ankle joint.

The knee joint capsuleThe joint capsule is a thick ligamentous structure that surrounds the entire knee. Inside this capsule is a specialized membrane known as the synovial membrane which provides nourishment to all the surrounding structures. Other structures include the infrapatellar fat pad and bursa which function as cushions to exterior forces on the knee. The capsule itself is strengthened by the surrounding ligaments.

- From http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/kneeanatomy.php

A funny bit of EDS humor. My dad is likely who I inherited all this from although he has not been diagnosed with EDS yet - he avoids doctors like the plague. But he told me, "Once your knees start hurting, you pretty much forget all your other pains." Gee thanks dad! :)

Twisted knee!

Living with EDS is just an adventure, everyday! You never know which body part will freak out next! The latest for me was my left knee. I've noticed this knee "popping" a lot after my shower. It seems that the muscles in my leg are getting tight - both upper and lower leg area. So I just figured it was the knee popping back into place. There was one Sunday about a year ago that it hurt really bad and I had trouble walking. But I just applied some Reiki to it, it popped back in and didn't hurt anymore, so I sort of forgot about it.

Fast forward to 3 days ago... I was in my livingroom trying to open the blinds in the front window. The chains and cords had been tangled up together and it literally would not budge. My legs were wedged between the edge of the sofa and the small side table next to the sofa, and I was twisting my body to the left yanking on the blind cords and trying to untangle them. Suddenly I felt a little twist in my left knee followed by a sharp pain! Then I hobbled around for the rest of the evening. Next morning I was still hobbling and had to hang on to the shopping cart sort of like an elderly person uses a walker! I bought a nice ACE bandage and wrapped it up which helped it feel a lot more stable but I was still hobbling around. Sunday I noticed it was slightly swollen ABOVE the kneecap! The soreness and hobbling come and go - when I rest it gets better, when I elevate my leg or try to go up stairs it gets worse. The acupuncturist was able to help it a lot yesterday. He zapped my ears, then put needles in my ear AND my knee! By the end of the session I was able to lift my leg again without pain! I still hobbled that day, but this morning I woke up and the pain was MUCH improved :) So does this mean my "illness" has been chased into my leg and will continue going down until it gets to my toes???!

I finally did it!

Finally called the doc. who did my right shoulder surgery. I want him to check out the left shoulder and what it's doing. Something is really not right with that shoulder and I'm not sure what to do :( If I lift my arm up and back, it slides in and out of joint. From what I've read, the shoulder is a very shallow joint (not like a ball and socket, more of a slightly curved area) so it can move out of place pretty easily. It doesn't pop all the way out (dislocate), it just sliiiiiides slightly one way, then the other. This causes the muscles to spasm like you would not believe! I'm anxious to hear what he'll say about it!!

The right shoulder doesn't slide out of joint anymore, since he tightened it. But it does pop in the back of my shoulder. He told me that was normal and it would take awhile for the shoulder to get used to its "new" position. I have exactly 2 weeks to wait and find out. . .

I found this cool article on the shoulder joint, how it works, and what the "clunks" mean: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=322

Special events not so special

"Special events" such as parties, weddings, showers, trips, vacations, conferences - anything involving travel and extra stress. They kick my butt! The past 2 weekends were full of 'em for some family events. I'm really happy for those family members, and I tried to enjoy the events as much as possible but. . .I'm "whooped" now. You'd think I ran a marathon, that's how tired I am. Then the rest of the week I will drag my sorry butt into work, feeling like crud. Oh well, that's life. . .If it gets too bad I can use some PTO time. I hope it'll pass. I get sick of having to take PTO all the time.

I consider any special event a success if I a.) do not have a migraine and b.) have a very small bit of fun :) This time I did have a migraine but not until the very end of the event and I was able to sleep it off. Fun was had. Success!