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workingman111
11-23-2015, 03:23 AM
Hello All,
I come here with a problem looking for a solution. I will be very appreciative to anyone who may be able to help in any way. I’m currently reading and studying a lot (probably 8 hours just today) so I hope nobody feels I’m here out of laziness, and I’m certainly not here looking to find the easiest way to get huge. I just want to solve a problem if I can and I’m not looking for shortcuts or ways to avoid work.
So, my knees hurt, a lot. I’ve lived with this for long enough that I know there is some kind of damage or condition. I’ve tried different diets, and variations to my lifestyle and so far the problem only persists if not worsens.
Before I go any further I will say that I am in the process of finding a doctor I can work with and determining what is wrong, so know that I’m serious.
If I decide it is a good solution I am considering using various AAS and Growth Hormone coupled with training dedicated to promoting repair as I have read some encouraging things about both in being able to heal joint injuries. I am interested in finding a cure, not a treatment. So, assuming I have damage or wear (I feel due to injury and perhaps chronic inflammation) I want to know if AAS/HgH use can repair my damage and then how to proceed. I don’t know if there is a solution here, but If anyone is interested in reading further I will provide more information below. I just want to be able to walk again without having to think about it, hesitating and holding back.

Stats
I am 30 now. Male. 6 Foot Tall. Naturally lean. I weigh 160lbs with a low bodyfat percentage though I’m not sure exactly how much.

Symptoms
Persistent pain. In general it’s a burning pain that is present pretty much all hours of the day but while I am using my knees for anything, even just walking, It is the kind of pain you get from jumping off of something too tall, which under normal circumstances would go away in minutes to hours but for me only goes away or subsides if I get off my feet.

Creakyness in the joint. When I bend my knees in either direction I can put my finger on the kneecap and actually feel the little creaky pops that are taking place. They don’t especially hurt each time but I’m also certain it wasn’t always this way.
Swelling. Recently my left knee swelled up a bit and I noticed a new pop in it. It wasn’t red, just swollen.
Limited range of motion. Recently, along with the swelling in my left knee I also have experienced that if I squat past a certain point the joint seems tight and the pain significantly increases if I push past this point. Both the limited range of motion and swelling flared up a couple nights after I put in a good leg workout. Before this it was just persistent burning.
Loss of mobility. Anything concerning use of my knees is limited now because in both my conscious and subconscious I know that pushing farther than a certain point results in a prolonged increase in pain which is significant because I interpret this as being associated with injury. This is now affecting my coordination.
Climbing stairs is easier than descending stairs.

History
This has been with me now for the past 3 years. Growing up and throughout my early 20s I had the persistent portion of this problem only a couple times between 20-25, but it went away. I do not have any medical conditions that I am aware of, though, I wonder whether I have some form of arthritis. My joints naturally like to pop/crack. It seems the more I train the less they do this. In the past I have popped/cracked my knees because they felt like they needed it and it felt good. I stopped a long time ago just because I had a bad feeling about it. When it happens accidentally it typically ends up making my knees flare up.

Lifestyle
I work a lot and do have a lot of stress with a full time job and a business of my own. My sleep is not always what it should be and I am sedentary more than I would like. When I train I tend to not go at anything easy which is why I feel like, looking back, I have injured myself. I have had a weakness, I feel, for years and that is that I do too much sitting. My work necessitates a large amount of this but also I find that my recreation does as well (sitting in front of a computer reading, watching videos or playing games). When I’m not sitting I find myself on the other extreme, standing for hours, with very little dynamic motion. I consider both to be pretty sedentary. I feel that going from this into training has been a shock to my joints, but primarily to my knees and has resulted in damage.
I eat 3 meals a day and try to sleep 6-8 hours a night. I eat good food, what I believe is usually referred to as clean, and when I can I try to make it organic. My diet is something like that of the food pyramid, pretty balanced. I may be a little light on fruits and meats. I’ve tried a high fat diet for a while and during that time I may have had a little less pain. I drink about a gallon of water a day. Drinking less seems to make the problem worse.
For the last 3 months I have been training 3 nights a week and have gained 12 pounds which is probably mostly muscle and density. I go to classes that are a little on the crossfit side if you had to classify it, a mixture of weighs, bodyweight and strongman type exercises. It tends to be both cardiovascularly demanding and demanding of strength. I am certainly pushed to my limit each night.

Thoughts
I feel that for years due to my lifestyle I have kept my body in a state of being torn down rather than building up (catabolic rather than anabolic). As I understand it, cartilage in joints regenerates much slower than in muscle tissue. I have read that both Equipoise and Deca are great for joints (because of increases to cartilage synthesis) and I’ve read a few things that say they may be able to actually heal joint injuries. I’ve heard that to do this you wouldn’t necessarily need the dosage you would to build loads of muscle. I have also read that Growth Hormone helps repair joints. This is all extremely interesting to me and so I’m looking for people with experience who I can speak with and learn from.
I have taken a lot for granted in the past due to possessing youth but knowing that now I am fully ready to change and adopt anything into my lifestyle in order to fix this problem. I will no doubt learn a lot from visiting the doctor and hopefully with all things considered I can get my legs back and live normally again. Thanks very much to anyone who has any useful input.

ironjulius
11-23-2015, 03:28 AM
first welcome to BOP and i also have bad knees but i think your problem sounds more serious. yes deca is supposed to help and that is why im running it right now but still early for me and not sure if it has help. i have a friend who is a runner that used real IGF had problems with his knees and tried all kinds of stuff but the IGF was only thing that worked. i will be checking back on the thread to see what others have to say

oh and i can relate to the popping and cracking of knees i feel better when it happens too

Herc
11-23-2015, 03:57 AM
I definitely think you need to see a doctor and get an MRI of those knee's. With that being said, I have bad joints as well. I can tell you from experience EQ has never helped my joints feel better. However, Deca always helps big time! I like to run Deca, but you would need to run some test along side it to prevent ED. I have never taken HGH so I can't comment on that. I have taken GHRP 6 and noticed no difference... really helped me sleep though! I currently just started running some IGF-1 LR3 along side my cycle in hopes of joint/tendon healing properties as well as the generating new muscle aspect. Just haven't been on it long enough to know if it will help.

Paradox
11-23-2015, 09:09 AM
MRI 100% bro

Thats the best way to get a diagnosis and then determine what line of treatment to take.

And steroids isn't necessarily the best option, some are great for the pain, but if your injecting something anabolic weekly for the pain then theres only so much you can do. For example of its arthritis that you are suffering, then id say go with a hyaluronic acid injection. You can get it legally and some brands offer up to 9 months relief from one injection. Its non pharmaceutical and basically just injecting a concentrated form of synovial fluid into the knee. If you would like to know more msg me.

Other treatments include stem cell injections, cortisone (a steroid) and really just depends on your diagnosis before anything

Paradox
11-23-2015, 09:11 AM
Another thing to note you cant regrow cartilage from steroids or gh. Stem cells the evidence is half half. PRP a good anti inflammatory but mainly placebo and a money grab

Atlas Labs
11-24-2015, 12:06 AM
Deca definitely helps. I'm going through knee problems right now and it's definitely not as bad when I have some in my system

workingman111
11-24-2015, 02:50 AM
Thank you all very much for your responses, as soon as I've found a doctor and gotten some tests/scans I'll post back.

Ironjulius,
Thanks for the welcome and for the tip on IGF. I've heard of it a few times recently and I want to learn more.

Herc,
Great info on your personal experience. I'm keeping this in mind.

Paradox,
Thank you, Im researching stem cell and was looking into PRP as well and I'm grateful to get your opinion on it.

Paradox
11-24-2015, 10:23 AM
Nws bro, i recently was at a conference with a whole heap of Drs comparing the available evidence for osteoarthritis. Thats where i get my info from. For arthritis the gold standard will be a cortisone injection, its great for the pain but doesn't provide any benefit beyond that. Its the better solution of you have water on the knee. It provides an almost immediate pain relief. But you will need an injection around every 3 months. It is the cheapest option. Probably has the most science behind it.

Hyaluronic acid, provides pain relief around a week or 2 after injection. Helps slow down the degradation of the joint and protect the cartilage, alomg with giving it more lubrication which helps the body produce more of it naturally. Needs to be injected by a doctor and preferably through ultrasound guidance. There is actually high level evidence showing it produces the same pain relieving effect as cortisone/steroid exept the effect lasts alot longer, so you will need less injections per year. As said above usually lasts 6-9 months. (Wont quote the brand of the preparation on a public forum). It is more expensive. Sports physicans are known to use it with athletes. There is alot of science behind it. It is known to delay the need for a joint replacement.

Stem cells. Well naturally the name itself will make us interested given the media coverage ovet the last 2 decades for various uses. It is a common belief aming experts that this is the way of the future. There is some preliminary evidence showing that it may have the ability to regrow cartilage, which where all the hype is at the moment. If proven true this will be a game changer. This would have to be done through a sports physician or orthopaedic surgeon. Currently being used with success by many people. It is one of the more expensive treatments.

PRP is used alot, people will swear by it, however ot does raise a few eyebrows in the scientific community. Not because it doesnt work but rather the motives behind a Dr using it and the prices they charge. Basically PRP, you go to the doc, they draw some blood out of you. Then they put this blood into a centrifuge to spin it around at a high speed. This causes the blood to separate, they then remove the platelet portion. This produces a concentrated solution of your own platelets, they then add a few drops of things to stabalise it and inject it into whatever area. Now platelets are known to help with inflamation so a concentrated preparation gives some amazing pain relief. Which allows the joint to settle (the same way cortisone will) and start healing if it can. The main issue with this is many people call it a placebo effect, if you tell someone their natural blood is producing these effect they will more likely believe it in their head weather this is true or not i won't weigh into, my main issue with it is the pricing, costs the same if not more than Hyaluranic Acid or stem cell injections, ive seen Drs charge anywhere from $400-800 for a single injection. In reality all it really costs them to produce is the cost of the centrifuge which isnt that expensive, after that its just pure profit. Also the science behind it is currently very weak compared to the above options. That said there are probably times where it would be the better option like for tendon or ligament injuries.

Many docors may also use a combination of the above. But at the end if the day id only do that if money was no issue.

Personally i would recommend against seld treating with steroids (unless you manage to get cortisone lol). Simply because for myself (also have a fucked knee) id rather address the problem first then be on cycle for muscle building not pain relief. If you have to shut your natural test down for pain relief i dont think it's the best way to go. That said, even guys without joint problems love their joints on deca. There is no denying its great effects on the joints, and the fact you can just shoot it intramuscularly yourself is definitely a bonus.

You probably didnt need me adding further details, but its all still fresh in my head from that recent event. So there you have it, a condenced up to date review of current treatment options for osteoarthritis. Of you want me to point you to the research of all ive mentioned above just give me a shout out.


Also note this info is mainly for arthritis.

Also i know nothing about IGF and its current research, but sounds promising as well.


Anyway, let us know how it all goes

workingman111
11-25-2015, 02:52 AM
That was great, thank you very much.
So, I have some pretty fundamental questions:
You mentioned that joints heal and many other people have said this as well. If this is true why do people also say you cant regenerate your cartilage?
Also, Ive heard many times that by the seven year mark (if you just begin timing arbitrarily calling some instant year zero) you will have regenerated every cell in your body. This make sense, and it also makes sense that no cell in your body can live as long as you do, that cells will invariably die and be replaced with copies or as good a copy as the body can make. This is a natural process and without it I feel like every joint in the body would wear out much sooner than they do. Imagine how many engines and tires you go through over time and how demanding the load is on them. Just your shocks wear out and they dont really do anything but push fluid back and forth. Car parts don't regenerate and I believe it could be said that the demand on joints is just as extreme if not moreso. My question is if the body is renewing cells to keep itself in shape as it does with every other tissue in the body, why cant a regimen be developed targeting joint tissue to rebuild it at an accelerated rate, to heal it and reverse damage?

On stem cells, is there a limited supply in your body to draw the injections from or do the stem cells themselves renew over time?

Thanks

Aenima
12-28-2015, 01:00 PM
I've found that when I have knee pain it's usually due to tight hamstrings/lower back.

benlash74
12-28-2015, 11:07 PM
Been fighting with a knee injury for years now also. Deca does seem to help, would love to try some igf but gotta work it in to the budget. I stretch alot for my martial art classes and it helps a bit but I still get that burning pain under my left knee cap. Good luck brother. Keep us posted.

justlikemusic
01-06-2016, 12:24 PM
Hey brother, I am the other side of two knee operations last year and on the slow recovery road. If your kneecaps (patella) is misaligned then steroids are just going to continue making the muscle imbalance worse, if it is that. With your description I'd recommend an MRI to check the condition of the joint, followed by a patellofemoral tracking CT scan which shows patella tilt and location. Then you can work out with an orthopaedic surgeon if it is fixed with surgery or physio. Every physio I've been to in the past year isn't worth 2c. They all say to do the same exercises and just don't seem specialize. Good luck and any questions please ask, I'll be happy to help where I can.

Paradox
01-06-2016, 12:44 PM
Just saw the rest of your questions workingman

To address them breifly:

# from what I've learned and through conversations with surgeons once cartilage degeneration starts its irreversible. Damage that's done cant be undone. Though there have been some promising signs from stem cell therapy, and some drs will push for it, it still in early stages to twll of its hype or not. Best way to know is to try it. And it aint cheap unfortunately.

# as for tissue regeneration, it definitely occurs. Not sure what the rate is for cartilage and other joint tissue, but it seems that it only regenerates back to the same damaged state or worse. Basically the damage occurs at a rate faster than its regeneration. They actually do have technology that targets bone healing from fractures that accelerates the process. But unfortunately the biology of cartilage and bone is very different. The bone healing process is very well understood where as they dont even know what the cartilage healing process is and if it exists. Making it harder to target. That said its safe to say billions of $$$ in research is being poured into it. Everyone ends up with at least one bad knee, theres too much money to be made. So they wont stop the research any time soon.

As for your last question, i have no idea. Google would know better than me for that one lol

Paradox
01-06-2016, 12:57 PM
Hey brother, I am the other side of two knee operations last year and on the slow recovery road. If your kneecaps (patella) is misaligned then steroids are just going to continue making the muscle imbalance worse, if it is that. With your description I'd recommend an MRI to check the condition of the joint, followed by a patellofemoral tracking CT scan which shows patella tilt and location. Then you can work out with an orthopaedic surgeon if it is fixed with surgery or physio. Every physio I've been to in the past year isn't worth 2c. They all say to do the same exercises and just don't seem specialize. Good luck and any questions please ask, I'll be happy to help where I can.

A good physio is hard to find, when you finally find a good one you will know pretty quickly with the fact they wont be doing the same old stretches and exercise, they will be more targeted and specific to your needs and they will give you a thorough assessment. Them the results flow from there if there is anything they can do.

First ive heard of patello femoral CT tracking, will look into it and see if its available locally

eforce
01-24-2016, 07:04 AM
get the MRi then let us know. If you choose not to then icing and stretching is probably the next best thing. your lean so that helps the joints overall. It sounds like you have a meniscus problem, but both knees hurting equally rules that out. you could have impingement of the knee?