RE: Bad Knees

[Marlene Moss <marlene.moss@wcom.com>]

<<Are knee problems common among horse people or is it just me?>>

I have knee problems and no idea why - some gymnastics as a kid, hiking, now
skiing.  But no real injuries.  My knees drive me nuts.  I have found that
the single worst thing I can do to agravate them is to sit at work with my
legs crossed.  Now when I'm at work, I put a box under my desk for a foot
rest to prevent me from crossing my legs.  It's tougher in meetings, but I
try.

Here's something interesting.  A few years ago, I broke my back.  Nothing
major, just a compression fracture of a lumbar.  But I think I have some
nerve damamge or something.  Occasionally I get a hot spot on my right foot.
It's worse when I'm not riding and being generally sedentary.  My mom has an
inversion table and she kept bugging me to try it.  I finally did, with
great results.  No hot spot for about 3-4 days (and before it happened about
15-20 times a day) and my knees didn't hurt for a couple days either.  I
keep forgetting to use the thing, but my knees and foot eventually remind
me.

Marlene