Synvisc One- Knee repair injections

My doctor is John Davis III, MD at Orthopedic Physicians in Littleton, Colorado. If this works, he is brilliant. If it doesn't than my ligaments really do need surgical repair. He took x-rays and they clearly show my knees without any more cartilage. They are literally bone on bone. If this works on the left knee, I'll get it done on the right knee.

On Tuesday morning, October 15th, I will have an injection (actually I think its three injections on the same day) into the joint of my left knee. They just use local anesthetic. It should give me a cushion much like cartilage for about six months.

I have bone on bone arthritis. It hurts when I get up and it hurts all day long unless I really exert myself for about fifteen hard minutes hiking or jogging on the tread mill for about a 1/4 mile. I think that by then my adrenaline takes over and masks 90% of the pain.

I know swimming and bike riding provides better protection of the knees, but I can't stop hiking. I live in Colorado for goodness sake. The nearest serious and beautiful mountain trails are about ten minutes from my house. I like the treadmill because the it doesn't hurt my butt (from the bike seats) and I can enjoy the satisfaction of jogging faster each time. I can't wait to get back on the tread mill after Thursday October 17th. I've never jogged at 308 or less pounds before. It should be a lot of fun.

So the product that I am having injected in my knee is called "Synvisc One." Straight from the brochure:
"Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and one of the most common causes of knee pain. In the U.S. alone, more than 10 million people are estimated to have OA in one or both knees.
In a knee with OA, the fluid that cushions and lubricates the joint (called synovial fluid) can break down and lose its ability to cushion your knee. The cartilage protecting the ends of the bones can also deteriorate, in some cases causing bone to rub against bone. OA is usually associated with pain, stiffness and more limited range of movement."

The are three stages... mild, moderate and severe. I my case it is severe and even walking up and down stairs cause great pain that can't be moderated with any pain killer I have found.
You can try medications if your only mildly or even moderate, but I am not. The other options are Viscosupplements, Steroid injections, or Surgery. I still pick the Synvisc One option.

We'll see how it works. I have low expectations, but my friends who have also had it say that is feels like a miracle as soon as they finish the injections. You have to take it easy for 48 hours and then you should be good to go. I can't wait to get back into the gym and up on the hard to extreme mountain trails!