Abbie's Knee right now 💥

LIFETIME HIP & KNEE

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#136: Abbie's Knee today

Part III

Abbie's recovery didn’t happen overnight.

In fact, it took months.

Abbie's story shows us what one year of knee pain looks like

And asks whether we should persevere or not..

By autumn of last year there were still symptoms:

Catching pain laterally
Intermittent swelling, and
Limitations on twisting movements.

BUT Abbie kept going.

Gradually building cycling time.

Gradually increasing walking distance.

Not chasing zero pain—but watching the overall trend.

Around 10 months after the initial injury, something else changed.

The catching stopped.

Abbie’s words: “I guess I had ground it down.”

Brilliant!

Degenerative meniscal tears do become less symptomatic over time.

The knee adapts as strength improves.
The inflammatory response settles.
The knee recalibrates.

Abbie's swelling became minimal.

Extension was nearly normal.

Function markedly improved.

Then came the real test.. GOLF! 🏌️‍♀️

Initially 3, 6, 9 holes.. then, eventually..18!

AND there were NO flare-up afterwards.

That’s a meaningful milestone.

So where did Abbie end up?

• No surgery

• No repeat injection

• No dramatic intervention

AND..

Restored full extension.
Walking distance improved
=> 100 yards to 5 miles.
Return to golf twice / week.

And most importantly— confidence in the knee again.

My Lesson

What did I take away from this?

This isn’t every patient’s story.

But it is a useful one to talk through..

It highlights something we often see:

Not every meniscal tear needs 'tidying up'.

Sometimes it needs time, movement, and a bit of persistence.

And occasionally—just occasionally—being prepared to push through the resistance.

So, my main takeaway => the degree of persistence that is sometimes required.

Sometimes we do need to persevere..

Abbie did exactly that.

And it worked.

My Reply

Awesome 🙌 V well done 👏 👏 ..ground down into submission..!

Can I anonymously share your story in a newsletter series.. alongside a sub-3hr marathon runner and big cyclist..?

Nearly ready..

Building out a complete set of courses is something I've wanted to do since before I started writing this newsletter. Over 2 years ago..

The reason isn't wholly about the surging surgical statistics. It's more about the conversations I keep having in clinic — with people who've been in pain for too long, don't know what's wrong and have never had anyone explain it properly.

That changes from next week.

Courses that empower people to do what Alf, Steve and Abbie did.

To bounce back from hip + knee pain..

Hit the button below to be first to hear 😀

Click to be first to hear :)

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Duchy Hospital
Truro
TR1 3UP
United Kingdom