Thursday, April 15, 2010

Getting Back on Track: Part Four

The trail I walked after work yesterday

It has been almost a year and a half since my knee locked and I had surgery to try and get some more mileage out of the joint before a knee replacement would be required. Arthritic joints do not let a day go by without reminding the owner that they are there. I have been able to work steadily for the past 12 months at my job which is active and requires heavy lifting at times. This spring I have enjoyed being out on trails and have worked in the garden again. I use my walking poles for longer walks but they look pretty sporty, not therapeutic. I have learned that if I do my knee exercises faithfully, I have less pain. I know that professionally, but exercises are not easier to do yourself just because you are a physiotherapist. I rarely take any anti-inflammatory medication.

I heard about Celedrin, a natural remedy for joint inflammation on a radio talk show. I wrote the name down but did not look for it at the store. A while ago, Costco had Celedrin capsules and cream packaged together at a special price so I picked some up. I started using the Celedrin cream on my knee twice a day and noted significant improvement in the chronic swelling and pain in the joint after a few days. I have tried a number of OTC anti-inflammatories as well as two different prescriptions and none worked as well as this cream. The Journal of Rheumatology published The effects of a cetylated fatty acid topical cream on functional mobility and quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis in 2004. The study concluded that "use of a CFA topical cream is an effective treatment for improving knee ROM, ability to ascend/descend stairs, ability to rise from sitting, walk and sit down, and unilateral balance."

I know better than to call this a cure, but anything that is safe to use and gives more mileage to my damaged joint is worth the price in my opinion. (It is no more expensive than over the counter medications). I ordered more cream from Well.ca (free, fast shipping in Canada) and received a sample of Memory FX in my package. Talk about targeting a demographic group! :-)

The Becka had some fun with this product on her blog today. Here is the link to her post.

Please note: I am receiving no compensation for mentioning Celadrin, Costco or Well.ca in this post. I will always promote my daughters though!

7 comments:

  1. So many little things, and some not so little, start going wrong. He write with difficulty because his eyes wouldn't stop tearing. But that's another story -- maybe a blog.

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  2. PS: I wish we could edit our comments. You'd think Google of all people could work that out, but Blogger is kind of the distant and poor relation in the empire.

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  3. So glad you found something natural to help aleviate this pain. Your walking area looks so inviting and I'm sure very calming after a day of work.
    Do you plan to use the Memory stuff? ;-)

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  4. Hi Ruth,

    Glad you found a product that works! Here may be another one ... My vet, in her newsletter, recommended Recovery for Dogs but there is also Recovery for humans and here is the site ...

    http://www.purica.com/recovery.htm

    I don't think she would have recommended it if it didn't help. I'm afraid I can't provide a testimonial as I don't have an issue, at least not yet.

    That video about Cold FX is hilarious.

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  5. I sent this post on to my mom Ruth, who had had one knee replacement and who has problems with her "good" knee. Thanks for the info.

    LOL at the Memory FX... we all need some of that!

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  6. Oh my--Ruth--another thing in common: bad knees.
    I will have to see if our local Costco has said product.
    And I am with you--hold off on the surgery as long as possible, not because I am anti-surgery, but it is rarely the first treatment option.

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  7. Glad you had a good experience with this product Ruth and good to hear that your knee is feeling so much better.

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