Five years ago, almost to the day, I was diagnosed with pretty severe knee osteoarthritis. I was a on the young side for this condition: I was still in my late 20s although my doctor said my knees were more like those of an 80-year-old. The good news was, and still is, that while I suffer from occasional swelling in my joints I don’t really experience much pain. This is part luck, and part careful planning. If you’re been feeling any extra aches or have a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis here are some tricks that have helped me minimize any discomfort and will allow me to put off treatment (i.e., a knee replacement) for as long as possible:
1. Ditch the high heels. Funny but true: This was probably the hardest lifestyle change to make. I was living in New York where shoes are a real part of the dress code. But I had flashes of pain each time I walked down the stairs in them, or stood for long periods of time. If osteoarthritis is a wearing down of the cartilage between the bones I realized that this was one thing I needed to avoid in order to give my knees TLC.
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