Knee pain made it almost impossible to use the stairs.
A recent patient came to Functional Medicine Center of MN with arthritis knee pain that she’s had for 30 years resulting in crooked fingers and really bad knees. Going up and down stairs was a very long and excruciating painful endeavor and required her to pull herself up with her arms going upstairs and walk backward going downstairs to make the trip a little less painful. Injections no longer worked for her arthritis knee pain, and her orthopedic surgeon encouraged knee replacement surgery. After just two treatments with Dr. Robert at Functional Medicine Center of MN, she could normally walk up and down the stairs. There is still a little pain, but she’s already enjoying getting around much easier without the unbearable knee pain.
Alternative knee-pain treatments can help you avoid surgery.
Does arthritis knee pain keep you from living a normal life? Learn more about how Functional Medicine Center of MN can help you potentially avoid knee surgery, gain mobility, and begin to live pain-free. Please contact us or schedule an assessment.
View transcript
Linda: Hi, I’m Linda. This is my second treatment that I’ve had with Dr. DeYoung.
I came here because I’ve had arthritis for 30 years, so I have crooked fingers and really bad knees, and my orthopedic surgeon says I’m knee on knee. And he wants knee replacements, but I don’t want that.
I’m bone on bone in both knees, so he did injections, and that worked for 11 years for the first time. The second time it did absolutely nothing, so he wants to replace both of my knees, and I don’t want to do that. So I sought out this alternative treatment. Because I’ve had arthritis for 30 years, I’m used to being in pain, and my worst thing is going up and down stairs, and I have two flights of stairs in my house. So in order for me to go up the stairs, I go one leg at a time, whichever knee is better that day, and I’m hanging on to the railing and literally pulling myself up with my arms, and just my feet are following. I can’t go downstairs forward, so I turn around and go downstairs backwards, and again I’m hanging on to the railing for dear life because I don’t want to fall. But that’s the only way I can do it without being in pain. And I’m carrying things. So I came here to help, and after two treatments, I actually walked up the stairs the first thing I got home. And I could do it holding on with one hand and just my hand on the wall, and I was alternating my steps every other foot.
Dr. Robert: Basically walking up the steps normally, now?
Linda: Normally. I mean, I still was hanging on tight, you know, and helping, trying to get the weight off my knees, but I did it, and then I couldn’t believe I did it, so then I went down to see how if I could go down forwards. And that took a little more effort, but I could do it. And then I couldn’t believe I did it, so I did it a second time. And I’m just in awe of what two treatments have done for me. So I’m excited I can’t wait till I get through with all the treatments.
Dr. Robert: So, basically, for a year, you weren’t able to go up and down with…
Linda: Without pulling myself like a toe rope or going down backwards, and that’s pretty embarrassing when you’re out in public to go down backwards down the steps and rely on the railings. If there aren’t railings, I’m like in a state of shock.
Dr. Robert: So after two treatments, you’re able to walk up and down normal, step after step… foot after foot… holding on but not pulling yourself up… not hanging on for dear life on the way down either. Yeah, right, that’s awesome.
Linda: And I mean, I had some pain, but not a lot, and I could do it. That was the most shocking thing to me.
Dr. Robert: What kind of pain reduction from the beginning from 0-10 you started with? What kind of pain levels were you having?
Linda: You know, it depends on the day and what the weather is like. I think that has a lot to do with it. And what activity I’ve done. If I’ve been on my feet all day or whatever, but I’d say in the beginning, I’m just so used to hurting all the time that I kind of don’t think about it, and I have a high tolerance for pain anyways. But I’d say I was probably at a five, constantly walking around okay, and right now, I feel like probably a two. A one, maybe.
Dr. Robert: Two or one, yeah.
Linda: I mean, this doesn’t feel like pain to me. I feel tingling, and it feels better than the pains, so I like the tingle better.
Dr. Robert: Very good, thank you.
