Who Knew?

I was cleaning my desk today and ran across a note from my doctor in Chicago a lifetime ago. It contains two words: Patellar chondromalacia. It took a while, but then I remembered. Back in 1994 or so, I was having severe problems with my knees, despite having lost about 80 pounds. That was his diagnosis.

I wondered if perhaps that, rather than arthritis, was responsible for my need to go up and down stairs more slowly these days. It’s not that my knees hurt, exactly; they just don’t work like they used to. So I looked online, and found that patellar chondromalacia usually involves swelling and grinding, neither of which is a problem for me.

I read on. Strangely, most people who have patellar chondromalacia find it goes away around age sixty. I’m still five years away from that. Then I got my answer: Exercise! It seems that the best treatment is doing stuff like leg presses and the elliptical and calf raises, all of which are part of my three-times-weekly workout routine and have been for more than a year. I was reminded that back when I was having knee problems in 1994, I wasn’t doing any regular exercise other than walking.

I’m working out these days because I honestly like it. And because I’d like to get back to what I weighed back in 1994. And because I’d like to still be around and healthy in 2024 and beyond. But the next time I hop on the elliptical, I’ll remember that my workout seems to have helped end patellar chondromalacia. Who would have thunk it, exercise actually improving a knee condition?