So I went to an orthopedic guy at MetroHealth to talk about my chronic knee trouble. He was the sports medicine orthopedic guy, a competitive cyclist and triathlete. We had a good chat. The initial x‑rays on my knee showed a good amount of cartilage which was promising news. Dr. Schaefer still gave me an examination and told me that my left patella and left ankle were both very loose joints. I agreed with him and told him about my history of turning the ankle and both patellar dislocations. The good news from this is that as I age and my joints stiffen, these joints will become less wiggly. An “advantage” of aging. In the meantime, I’m to continue riding my bike and being as active as I want, ignoring the pain and letting any swelling be my guide to over-exertion. More good news.
He decided to take another x‑ray from a different angle, to get a look in between my patella and knee joint. This was done promptly and it was discovered that I have a meniscal ossicle, basically a loose chip of bone floating around in there. That’s what’s likely been causing my pain. There’s nothing to be done apart from trying to make my legs even stronger (and going to a physical therapist to get some exercises) and start taking glucosamine sulfate (not chondroitin) to improve my joint health.
I was leery of the glucosamine stuff since it costs the earth, but the doctor suggested I get it from… Wal-Mart. I was even more leery of this, but my knee hurts so much I went shopping. At Walgreen’s a two-month supply of 2,000mg glucosamine sulfate would cost me $120. It was about the same at Rite Aid. Target doesn’t carry it. So I went to Wal-Mart. I got a three-month supply of 2,000mg glucosamine sulfate for $13. It was almost worth the near agoraphobic meltdown that Wal-Mart engenders.