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How Low Can You Go?

The Rhyme

Speaking to a toddler used to be easy as can be,
And now the thought of kneeling is an anathema to me.
I’ve reached the stage when my knee joints have rejected,
Any physical move that in youth was expected.
To bend when asked - without pain or sound,
Now, I creak and moan when descending to the ground.
 
My grandkids are welcome to play on the couch,
So granny doesn’t drop to the floor with an “ouch!”
From now on, if things drop, I let them fall.
Gleefully I overlook to scoop them up at all.
I sweep them out the door -goodbye old debris!
Throwing things out infuses me with glee!
If you adopt this practice, these are my guarantee s
Your offspring will be grateful you had imperfect knees.

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Weight is the most common non-medical reason for bad knees.  Every extra pound a person gains adds 4 pounds of pressure on the knees. If your weight was 120 lbs. and now is 140 lbs., you've asked your knees to sustain 80 more pounds of pressure every time you stand up and walk. That’s quite a burden! Can't blame the knees for reacting!  Short of sitting more, the remedy is to lose weight, which I know is not the most fun thing to do, all that ice cream you have to throw out of your freezer!

One reason for knees to go on you is that the cartilage, that stuff on the ends of bones which cushions and aids them to move easily.  Imagine if you had the same pillow since you were eleven?  There are many ways cartilage can react but it’s certainly one area to examine with your doctor and in some cases, it can be treated.  

While a cure is often not an option there are things to do to alleviate worsening the condition.

Low-impact exercise can help strengthen muscles and keep bones strong.

Heat/cold therapy such as warm compresses or cold packs to joints can relieve soreness or even pain.
Assisting devices such as a cane can aid in reducing pressure on the knees.

And then there’s the simply truth that the older we get, the more common it is to experience mild soreness or aching standing, climbing stairs, or walking. The body does not recover as quickly as it used to.

Give your knees more rest, build up the muscles around them and lose weight.

The Facts

You’re not going to like this.

Does this woman look happy?

The Conversation

I think we grow the in the wrong direction.  It would be far easier to be 3 feet tall when we're a senior so picking up things from the floor would be a snap.  Youth can crouch down like a baseball catcher or leap up like a flame, not us.

But I have an idea!  Let's use standing to our advantage. Think about all the stuff you’ve collected that will be one pain in the butt for your progeny to clear out when your calling card expires?  Why not use standing to your advantage.  If you'd spend 10 minutes a day with a garbage pail and room by room, heck ever drawer by drawer start throwing things away.  Get rid of all accumulated stuff.  After all enough is enough. The when something drops to the floor, let it go because - less is more.

If you adopt this practice I guarantee, your progeny will thank you for having creaky knees.