Dear LPG.  

I am now in my early seventies and cannot exactly remember when it happened. I am beginning to see a somewhat bleak future, especially for my knees.  

It was over ten years ago, but I have seen what can happen to knees if you are not careful because I spent much time with an aunt who lives close to me.  I had just retired when she had her knee replacement, and I was the family member who spent a lot of time with her when she first left the hospital after the operation.  I saw the scar and that genuinely bothered me, and I was there when she described all the pain she was going through.   I was outside the door when the district nurse took the stitches out (they did not just dissolve back then), and I heard every one of her yelps (I could not bear to watch all that pain as well).  I was there when, just two days after the operation, they got her on her feet, and just two weeks later, the visiting physiotherapist took her for the most painful walk down the road that I think she will ever experience.  I have to say that it hurt just watching.  But life continues; my aunt has no problems walking now, and all is good.  

Recently, however, I have noticed that a couple of years ago, I could walk much better than I can now because of a bit of knee pain that won’t go away, and my memory of my aunt’s experience is beginning to haunt my thoughts.  

If my knee could be described as a bud, it would be advanced by now, but I have decided that any bud-nipping is preferable to what my aunt went through.  So, while it is a bit late in the day to start exercising them, I went to the internet to see what is recommended, while what I feel is still a taste of things to come is reminding me to do so. 

I have found various videos showing exercises that might help, and working on some of the muscles in your bottom seems to be the way forward.  Having seen them, I thought I might share them just in case there is an LPG reader with a niggly knee who happens to be reading this.

If I have to have a knee replacement sometime in the future, I want to make sure that I can delay it for as long as possible.

JL, Bromley 

LPG offers a warning when mentioning that not all exercises are suitable for all bodies.  We suggest that you check with a medical professional before attempting any exercise… 

JL finds a few bum exercises that might help your knees…

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… and some other things that might help…

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