I have ruptured my ACL and Medial Ligament

Dear Gary,

About 11 years ago I suffered a serious injury to my left knee while playing sport, rupturing my ACL and medial ligaments, which left me bed-ridden for a month and on a long, long road to recovery. I was eventually seen by an orthopaedic surgeon who opted not to operate and told me to strengthen it with exercise.

I continued to play sport (mostly rugby and touch) and train at the gym for another 3 years, with the knee always giving me problems. It was often painful, would 'click' out and then back in, and the leg was obviously alot weaker than my right.

Then, at the end of 2000 during a touch game, my right knee gave way and I was diagnosed with a ruptured ACL. The injury was nowhere near as bad as the first one and I got by with some physio and rest. A year later I did the right knee again in a touch game and this time I had it checked by another orthopaedic surgeon (XXXX) who recommended surgery. Since I couldn't walk without it locking up on me I agreed and ended up having a full reconstruction.

While the right knee is as good as it can be, the left knee has continued to give me problems and over the last year has worsened. I get very sharp pains under my knee cap and too much activity on it (running, touch etc) often results in swelling and/or restricted movement. I saw XXXX again for advice and he recommended against any surgery and after x-rays diagnosed osteo-arthritis. He advised me to strengthen my leg through exercise in order to support the knee.

I am now 41 and still very active, training regularly at the gym and playing touch. I spend alot of time on the exer-cycle trying to strengthen my quads without stressing my knee joints too much, as well a doing leg exercises - limited due to the pain I get in my knee. I realise I need to take supplements to aid in the repair of my cartilage/joints and help my osteo-arthritis, so I have been reading through your website for advice.

It would seem my best options are either the "joint factors 4500" or the "joint food for athletes" but I'm not completely sure, so thought I would check first with you before purchasing. Which would you recommend given my history? And is there anything else I should look at taking?

Thanks for your time, I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Darren
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Gary Moller comments:
Darren, Let me start with a few observations and comments:

It is a shame that your injury was not properly assessed and treated all those years ago when you first damaged it. There is little question that surgery to repair the damage was warranted.

It is absolutely critical that you look after your knees. They have decades yet to serve and there is nothing like the original. Plastic ones are your last resort.

Any physical activities, including Touch, which involve forceful acceleration, deceleration, twisting and turning and the possibility of violent contact with another player should be avoided for as long as there is joint pain and/or instability. If there is anything more than dull pain in the knee, the pain is telling you that damage is being done and you really should stop.

If there is ongoing knee pain, it is best to rest the joint for as long as it takes - be that 5,10,15 or more years. That means staying away from activities that cause joint pain. This includes most running sports, many gym exercises. Some cycling may be OK in your case; but do not overdo it.

Replace with sports like kayaking, swimming, snorkling, scuba diving, aquajogging and cycling. Rowing may be OK. In the gym, concentrate on the upper body. Sure, strong legs are important; but there is no benefit going beyond what is necessary to maintain stability.

It is time to give the Touch away. While you may find this hard to accept, the change will be exciting and refreshing, once you get into it. How about Waka Ama? Embrace change throughout life.

Which Joint Food is best for you? Definitely go with the JF4500 as your first and best value choice. Take the maximum recommended dose daily for at least 3 months. You can add 5-8 capsules of a quality fish oil per day or, preferably, with some daily flax oil. I also recommend that you complete the Active Elements Mineral Assessment because a mineral imbalance/deficiency can affect joint health and healing. You could also try wearing a quality elastic knee bandage - the ones with a small hole for the knee cap. This design may help to stabilise the kneecap during exercise as well as countering any swelling.

I hope this helps Darren. Please let us know how you get on.

Talk to Gary Moller (First 5 minutes are free):

I am training for a marathon and I have problems with my knees swelling

Hi Gary I am currently into week 10 of an 18 week marathon training program and am experiencing problems with knee swelling.

...I had a successful knee reconstruction 6 years ago which has enabled me to go on and run several marathons as well as the Keppler challenge and other off road events, all without knee swelling and stiffness. I am 40years old.

What I would like to know is, should I be taking the Joint Factors supplement that you are advertising on your website. Or is it too late to start to be of any benefit? Looking forward to your reply. Regards
"L"
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Gary Moller responds:
I am assuming that you had an anterior cruciate repair. There is often damage to the knee cartilages and there may be some unwanted ongoing joint laxity which causes some slipping and sliding within the joint. That you are now getting some swelling is not unexpected.

Unfortunately, these injuries come back on us as we age and the repair processes are less able to keep abreast of the wear processes. As somebody who is a wee bit older, who has had two operations on the same knee and who remains obsessively hyperactive, let me give you a few words of wisdom. Before I do so, I would like to point out that my knee is functioning better today than it was when I was 40. Credit for this goes to being a stickler for ensuring no further damage is done to that dodgy joint:

If it causes joint pain or swelling - stop immediately
Pain and swelling mean that you are causing serious damage to joint surfaces which are literally a millimeter or less in thickness. Do not harm these delicate surfaces unless you plan to spend your latter years in a wheel chair. According to Tower Insurance knee replacements are up 268% from 2001. This is a shocking indictment on the way we treat (sorry - abuse) our knees. Look after those knees folks if you want to get through airport security without being frisked every time!

Nourish your joints while there is still something there to repair
You can never be too early (or too late) in supplying the nutritional substrate that those hard-working cells need to rebuild healthy joint tissue. This means trace minerals, glucosamine, chondroitin and several other nutrients, including plenty of vitamin C. When it comes to joint nutrition, the sooner one starts the better.

Exercise; but not in a way that causes harm
I was pretty good at marathon running. Did over a dozen with several at a brisk pace. That was over 20 years ago. Although I think I am fit enough, I will never do another because I want to have knees when I hit the ton. I simply made the decision to quit doing marathons and never, ever regretted that decision. Nowadays, most of my running is off road and no longer than about 1.5 hours. I can still chop out a 5km race in about 20 minutes which is satisfying for a chap now in his mid 50's. Nowadays, I do the grueling endurance work on a mountain bike. I can still do a 2-3 hour off-road running race without too much distress. All this is carefully chosen and executed to prevent ruining my knees.

Mountain bike riding is very hard work while being easy on the knees. A ride can last 3-4 hours with no joint pain of note. The other fitness activity that my knees love me for is kayaking.

So the advice is to choose activities that are good for your knees. Pounding the pavements is not one of them and marathon running sure is not on the menu either. And yes, I would recommend the joint foods of glucosamine and chondroitin; but not if the rest of the advice in this article is ignored.