I'll start by saying that I've had a lot of problems with my knees. I'm a long time sufferer of Iliotibial Band Syndrome, and particularly my right knee and my right medial meniscus have been bugging me as of late. In 2006 I had a Meniscus Repair on my right knee and recovered just fine.
However, i've recently been having some swelling and more joint pain that was triggered by simple hikes and scrambles I did in September. In the last month, I have visited 2 orthopedic surgeons and had both MRI and X-Ray on it. They do not think it's a meniscus tear, rather some minor arthritis of the knee.
I'm wondering if anyone here has minor arthritis and still climbs just fine? What have you found that works well to manage the pain and prevent further issues?
The doctors say that i should still climb but slowly get back into it since i've been inactive for 2 months.
I'm still young, healthy, only 23 years old, in great shape, and used to be a long distance/marathon runner in High School and Junior High. I'm into alpine mountaineering and grade 3-4 climbing. Stuff like the Kautz Glacier on Rainier, Reid Headwall on Hood, etc.
Looking for some advice and stories of others with similar conditions.
Thanks all
-Ryan