Now there's a new way to help patients with arthritic knees walk away from agony. Dr. Paul A. Dieppe, professor of rheumatology, at Bristol University, Bristol, Eng. In my book, The Healthy Barmaid, I discussed how Dieppe helped the pub's elderly piano player. She had developed swollen joints in her hands and had stopped playing. The exercise of playing again eventually helped her.
Knees start to go downhill for several reasons.
The synovial fluid that oils the joint and also acts like a cushion loses it's elasticity. This causes increased stress on cartilage covering the bone. Holes appear and bones start to grind against each other. Cortisone may occasionally be injected into arthritic knees. And Aspirin is still the miracle drug for many.