My Knee Problems Aren't From Being Fat
How Lipedema and EDS impacts knee deterioration (Read until the end! I have a poll for you).
Most of you probably don’t know, I’m having knee replacement surgery tomorrow.
I’ve had knee problems for a long time. When my knees started causing me pain over 10 years ago, my doctor suggested having cortisone injections. It was a simple office procedure, and I did these injections once a year for many years.
After a while, the cortisone wasn’t working anymore, so I progressed to HYLAN G-F 20 injections, brand names such as Synvisc or Euflexxa. This medication lubricates and cushions the joint, reducing pain in the knee.
I went to a rehabilitative specialist for this. This doctor told me I would eventually need surgery. But I maintained well on these injections for quite a few more years.
Then COVID hit, and everything shut down. And my rehab doc ghosted me. I called so many times, leaving messages on voicemail. I got no response, no follow-up, nothing.
Without my knee injections, along with menopause, the stress of losing my mother, and my eventual Lipedema surgeries, my knees deteriorated. I started losing range of motion and hobbled about.
After my final Lipedema surgery last December, I started feeling better. But my knees…oh, my knees hurt so bad.
I decided it might be time for a knee replacement.
Last March, I had a surgical consult and got myself scheduled for a total knee replacement. With the lack of medical services we have now in our country, I’ve had to wait 7 months for knee surgery.
So, tomorrow, I’m going under the knife, as they say. I’m finally getting my knee replacement.
When I’ve been asked about “why” my knees have gotten arthritic at a young age and if it was Lipedema, I knew my weight gain was not the reason.
How did I know this?
Because my knees have been failing for years when I was at a much lower weight. My sudden weight gain from Lipedema progression only happened in the past couple of years and left me mostly chairbound. And if the medical community thinks it’s from being overweight, they honestly don’t know my history.
I used to believe my bad knees were from when I was younger and used to run for exercise. I ran A LOT, and although my knees were fine while I was running, I still believed the wear and tear caused my knees to deteriorate. But I haven’t been running for 20 years. And my knees didn’t start hurting until after I stopped running.
It wasn’t until recently that my physical therapist suggested a third and more rational reason.
My bad knees are from my hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
As you might know from my previous posts, a high percentage of women with Lipedema also have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).
hEDS is a genetic disorder that affects connective tissues, making them more elastic and less resilient.
hEDS affects various joints in the body, including the knees. The joint instability and hypermobility seen in hEDS may lead to increased wear and tear on the knee joint, potentially contributing to the development of knee osteoarthritis over time.
If you can contort your body into positions that others would gasp at, you might also have hEDS.
Flexing our joints beyond limits isn’t necessarily good for them. But with EDS, we don’t have a choice. Our joint hypermobility isn’t something we can consciously control.
Unfortunately, there isn’t conclusive research to suggest that knee osteoarthritis is directly caused by hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). Knee osteoarthritis is a complex condition its association with joint problems and causation is challenging to establish.
If you have knee problems, don’t take the medical industry’s dismissal that they’re caused solely by weight. In short, we need much more research on Lipedema, hEDS, and the impact they have on our bodies.
Thank you for reading Lipedema and Me. Without you, I wouldn’t be doing this!
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Take Care,
Michelle