I have had knee pain for over twenty years, also as a result
of running overuse injuries. In my experience much of the
info Lynette gave is accurate. I don't know how far it
applies to true arthritis, however.

I do many of the exercises she advised, building up the
various muscles of the legs to help support the knees. I
also have the Morton's foot, so I even do toe and ankle
exercises to strengthen the foot (this can be done while
watching TV, for instance). I suggest LOTS of slow
stretching, especially of the knee joint. This can be quite
painful, and you should go very slowly, building up your
range of motion. Stretching causes the connecting
tissues to strengthen.

Since going paleo a year ago, I have been able to resume
running. After about 6 months my knee pain, of twenty years
duration, suddenly dissappeared. My flexibility now is
better than it was as a teenager.

Lynnet Bannion wrote:

> I've suffered with osteoarthritis knee pain for 15 years now;  I certainly
> don't have solutions
> to the problem, but here are some ideas.
> * stop taking NSAIDs.  they interfere with the forming of new cartilage.
> * if possible, try to use a stationary bike; start with a short period of time
>    (even just a minute) but faithfully do it every day and work up to longer
>    times.  This helps to strengthen the muscles around the knee and preserve
>    range of motion.
> * another exercise that helps is swinging your knees.  Sit on a high bench,
>    table edge, or suchlike, and swing your knees back and forth to give them
>    range of motion.  Again, start with few repetitions and work up.
> * you may have trigger points in your leg muscles, including glutes,
> hamstrings,
>    calves, etc.  This causes most of my pain, rather than the joints.  A good
>    massage therapist can help you; also there is a wonderful book on self-care
>    for trigger points:
>         Clair Davies, "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook"
> * you may have a Morton's foot.  This is a condition where the first metatarsal
>
>    of the second toe is longer than the first toe.  The second toe itself may
> not be
>    longer.  It causes the first impact of a step to be the base of the second
> toe
>    causing serious instability in your gait.  This congenital condition causes
> trouble
>    for ankles and knees, even hips.  Instead of having a stable triangle of
> support,
>    you are trying to balance on a line.  Check by folding your toes down and
> looking
>    for the metatarsal joint above your toes.  If the joint of your second toe
> is farther out than the
>    first one, you have a Morton's foot. You can help this by putting a pad of
> molefoam
>    under the metatarsal joint of the first toe (NOT the second toe) so it
> contacts the
>    ground first.
> * Tai Chi is great for strengthening the legs and avoiding arthritis pain.
> Find a good
>    patient teacher, work up very slowly and never overdo.
> * I have a lot more pain relief with heat than cold, unless I have a muscle
> spasm.
>    A hot tub always does wonders for my legs.  You'd like to increase the
> circulation
>    in the knee area rather than decrease it.  Of course if this doesn't work
> for you,
>    don't do it.
> * Stop using foods which aggravate inflammation, such as coffee, corn (for me),
>
>    nightshades (for many), chocolate (for many), sugar (for many).  Most of
> these
>    foods are not paleo, which is one reason why people usually get relief from
> arthritis
>    going paleo.  If you're really sensitive to these foods, it could aggravate
> your condition
>    even as an occasional cheat.
>
> Glucosamine does help rebuild the cartilage, but at least for me, the pain is
> due to
> muscles rather than the joints per se.  Losing cartilage in the knees
> rearranges the
> muscles so they are not as balanced as they were before, setting up long-term
> problems
> with spasms, trigger points, inflammation, etc.
>
> Good luck.
> Contact me privately for more detailed discussions, as we do not want to get
> too far off topic.
>
>     Lynnet