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Knee Replacements and Marathon Runners
Marathon Man is a seasoned marathon runner who asks:
To quote Baretta, the great TV philosopher, "Don't do the crime if you can't pay the time."
Patients who feel they should run marathons after joint replacement surgery and told that they can't seem to feel that medical science has let them down because their pain has been eradicated, they can walk again but due to the mechanical limitations of metal and plastic based on years of testing they are getting advice to not run 26+ miles because it will destroy the plastic.
To the person who asked this question in the first place- Here are the facts - it will wear out very early if you run or even train for a marathon. It will also fail to function well if you jump off the Empire State building. Also, if you play rugby with the New Zealand National Team you will also destroy it.
It is actually the price we sometimes have to pay to be responsible to our bodies. Try cross training with weight lifting, cycling, tennis, golf, and numerous other things.
Maybe include an intensive work-out program reading Russian novels. They have the longevity of marathons, will give your mind the important exercise it needs, and I can guarantee minimal wear of the metal and plastic of your knee replacement.
Also, the chicks seems to love it when you quote from Anna Karenina.
Dr. K
Related Topics: How Weekend Athletes Get Olympic Edge,Knee Pain Management
Technorati Tags: marathon, kneeinjury, kneereplacement
My right knee medial meniscus is gone. I'm bone to bone. I've run many marathons and am a veteran Boston marathoner. What can I do to get running again?
To quote Baretta, the great TV philosopher, "Don't do the crime if you can't pay the time."
Patients who feel they should run marathons after joint replacement surgery and told that they can't seem to feel that medical science has let them down because their pain has been eradicated, they can walk again but due to the mechanical limitations of metal and plastic based on years of testing they are getting advice to not run 26+ miles because it will destroy the plastic.
To the person who asked this question in the first place- Here are the facts - it will wear out very early if you run or even train for a marathon. It will also fail to function well if you jump off the Empire State building. Also, if you play rugby with the New Zealand National Team you will also destroy it.
It is actually the price we sometimes have to pay to be responsible to our bodies. Try cross training with weight lifting, cycling, tennis, golf, and numerous other things.
Maybe include an intensive work-out program reading Russian novels. They have the longevity of marathons, will give your mind the important exercise it needs, and I can guarantee minimal wear of the metal and plastic of your knee replacement.
Also, the chicks seems to love it when you quote from Anna Karenina.
Dr. K
Related Topics: How Weekend Athletes Get Olympic Edge,Knee Pain Management
Technorati Tags: marathon, kneeinjury, kneereplacement
10 Comments:
LOL....The "Chicks", Dr. K. you crack me up!!
Funny to anyone except one who lives to run.
I suggest trying a new endurance sport with less running - triathlon.
Signed,
A compassionate physician
(I know, we're few and far between)
sorry, doc, not even mildly amusing. Almost insulting in fact, and WRONG....as there are probably more runners who've read Tolstoy than non-runners anyway. But, not to stray from the topic, a youth spent striving for some physical mastery and, yes, sometimes going beyond what your body can healthily do should not be seen by doctors as a "crime" for which arthritis is the just reward. Abhorent attitude, really.
signed,
former professional dancer, now triathlete with arthritis
any person (or doctor) who could make a comment like Dr. K. made has obviously no understanding of running or why people run. The last doctor I would want for my inevitable knee replacement is one who is as insensitive as this one! Why CAN'T medical science come up with an artificial joint which can withstand at least moderate running? There IS a need and demand and desire for it. And not for surgeons with no empathy at all.
Signed, a former marathon runner (28 finished)
After running 13 years on a hip replacement - it was time to replace the right medial meniscus - with a partial knee. Good move - have run a marathon and two ultras since.(one year) The secret , if there is one, keep your weight down, run on trails (soft) and use a run walk sequence. Your times will not be as fast as before, but you can keep going for a long time.
At age 72, I don't figure on stopping any time soon.
Joe T
I had major ACL reconstruction in 1978 due to a college basketball injury, and yesterday had a 'scope' to clean up arthritic debris. Since college I have run countless road races, and triathlons to include multiple trips to Boston, and Kona, and a 50miler on my 50th birthday. My doc is frowning on running, but while my racing days are over, I have every intention to run in moderation with cross training. With the expectation I am facing knee replacement down the line from here I expect to run after that event also. Will someone tell me why I should not expect to continue this lifestyle.........
I'm a 28 year old male. I have bi lateral hip replacements and I run regularly. Maybe 15-20 miles a week on average. I've done a lot of rehab work and now work as a sports rehab therapist. Since i began running 2 years ago I've never felt any discomfort other than soft tissue, which can be rehabed with the right training. Probably gonna tackle my first marathon in May.
It's my experience that many doctors simply aren't experienced in rehab and advanced conditioning. Code dictates that they give advise based on longevity, not beating the odds.
Paul, San Diego
Wow Doc..what a sweetheart you are! And you have the nerve to put your name to this article? I'll be damned sure to tell everyone to check out your article so they can know NOT to go to your practice.
Looks like the obsessive runners do not like to hear the truth. Time pressure movement mean wear. Im no doctor but 20 years as a mechanic and another 20 as maintenance supervisor. It's called material science.
Cells may heal to a point ,materials just wear. Maybe an external grease fitting on your knee's and hips.I will also tell you that someday you will die and will not run do you dis the doc. for that one? Obsessive compulsives never face reality. Although it is understandable the love folks have for healthy conditioning and well being. Living to run is obsessive compulsive behavior although much better than gambling,drinking, and sex addiction.
Hate to think my penis wore out from sex addiction wonder if folks would be mad at doc if replacement penis was not up to the old pump rate.
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