Anybody suffer with arthritic knees?

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sallyellis

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following a nasty fall from my horse 2 weeks ago I am currently in a knee brace and have collateral ligament damage but following a MRI scan yesterday the docs have told me I also have orthotic neocrosis (sp) which will need a knee replacement in the future but havent told me when just that I will need one...I currently have an 18 year old 16.2hh ID Mare who I will never sell as she was neglected before I got her, I also have a 3 yr old Arab gelding who I show in hand and was hoping to do endurance with and a 2 yr old appaloosa filly who is also shown occasionally and was to replace my mare as my general allrounder - my children also have a 8.2 spotty mini shetland who we aquired recently and I love to bits...sorry this has gone on a bit...but I am trying to decide whether to sell my youngsters and buy another mini and learn how to drive them or just to keep going and see how bad my knee is in the future...I know I will be not riding for at least 3 months this year - your thoughts and experiences please....:)
 
Did the docs say when they thought you might need a knee replacement?? I have arthritis in my ankles and although it is painful walking I am actually better off riding!!

My Mum had both knees replaced and although not a rider she found the pain releif tremendous and definitley something would recommend having done.

I also know a couple of folk who do ride after hip replacements and love it. My female horse vet had a hip replacement at a very early age and is back at work doing very well - so my thoughts are - it does not have to be the end of your riding!!

Good luck with the current injury!
 
I have got osteo-arthritis in my knee following surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament. I was also told that I would need a knee replacement but that they would not do it before I was at least 50 as they do not last forever and it will likely need repeating.

Riding is not a problem although I do hobble and creak around in the morning. The only thing I have noticed is that my 'bad' leg is quite a bit weaker, especially when it comes to lateral work. I am also neurotic about banging it when going through gates out hacking as that is very painful.

Ibuprufen will be you friend!
 
Thanks guys, I am not worried about riding my mare as I know most of her "problems" Gates are a worry and she is ridden a lot by seat but I feel safe on her even though it was her that crushed me (freak accident) but I am concerned that my youngsters will be wasted as I cannot do any in hand showing with my arab this season now and not sure if I will be able to compete in endurance in the future....oh so confusing I really dont want to sell my babies :(
 
I have arthritic knee and ankle in right leg due to a radial fracture, and it doesn't affect me all that much. In hand classes are do-able, and I find that I am OK to ride up to about 3 hours before I start to hurt. Someone recommended flexistirrups to decrease pain, and I do ride with slightly longer stirrups than I used to as this helps my leg. Of course, if I took painkillers/ibuprofen before I rode then I would be fine, but I don't remember - doh!

I am sure that you will be ok - I am helping my friend break in a pony at the moment, and I manage fine. I was jumping last weekend as well.
 
I too have an arthritic knee. I am now 22 and my pony fell on top of me in a freak accident on the road, crushing my leg and bending it back the wrong way at the knee and hip, aged 14. At the time the doctors were only interested in seeing if I had broken my leg so I was x-rayed and then no more investigation.

I have had lots of problems with it since and it is hugely sensitive to the weather etc. (arthritis index). As eggs said, Ibuprofen will definately be your friend. I keep very active which I find helps but my doctor did recommend I don't run, ski etc. anything which will put too much strain on my knee (she didnt mention horse riding so neither did I).

I hope you find a way to cope with it. Try lots of different things and find out what works for you. I take glucosamine which I find helps and means I don't often have to take ibuprofen.

If riding makes you happy keep doing it!
 
I have osteoarthritis in pretty much every joint and see a rheumatologist regularly. He was actually delighted to hear that I'd bought a horse. Sometimes in the winter when it's cold and damp, I can barely move but once I'm on my girl, I feel fine. Movement is good, flex stirrups help and just the happy endorphins I get from being on a horse keep me from really noticing any pain.

I plan on riding for as long as I can, and then a little longer.
 
I agree with Cocoa re the glucosamine, definitely! It takes a while to build up in the system so it will be a couple of months before you start to feel the benefit. I started to have trouble with my left knee a couple of years ago, and had it fully checked out straight away. The consultant said there was the start of arthritis there and prescribed glucosamine. I have been taking it faithfully and went back a year later for checking and it had stabilised so I keep taking the glucosamine and have hardly any trouble at all. Given that my older sister has had both knees replaced and my younger sister will need a knee replacement soon, I think that proves that glucosamine works!
 
I had my right knee replaced early last year aged 53 having struggled for years, I cant believe the difference, I am now pain free and recently bought myself a lovely 5 yr old irish mare with a view to eventing again having been unable to jump for over 7 years due to restricted movement and pain. I found keeping as fit as possible esppecially strength work on quads really helped along with taking liquid silicone "body elements" and glucosamine and good fish oils to support the joint nutritionally.
 
I am 50 yrs old, and have arthritis in my knees and left hip. To be honest, my knees don't worry me at all when riding - however, I certainly can't run to do in-hand showing. My hip, though, is a different story. That does hurt if I ride for more than an about hour and a half.

I take high-strength Glucosamine with Chrondroitin (from Healthspan) and high-strength Cod Liver Oil - which really help. I also take Ibruprofen before riding.

The other problem (and probably the most important) is that it makes me very one-sided. I am much weaker on the left and when schooling or having my lessons, I have to be very careful that the saddle doesn't slip to the right (fine when hacking). A non-slip gel (type) pad helps.
 
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