Brace update

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I’ve just come back from a 5.2km walk – the first walk since my Camino.

I wore the brace, I walked briskly, and I was pain free.

It was so wonderful to get back into the rhythm of walking. I’d forgotten how much I loved it – just the feel of the movement of my arms and the crunch of my boots.

To use an old surfing term: I’m stoked!

15 thoughts on “Brace update”

    • Hi Steve, I checked the distance on google maps and it was 5.4kms.

      It was glorious! The brace needs a little adjusting – it was tight in places, and would have caused major skin irritation if I’d gone much longer, but there was no knee soreness at all.

      I’m doing my yoga diligently each morning now, which loosens up the hamstrings, slowly builds strength and elasticity in the quads, and over the longer term will help stabilise the joint and so ease pain.

      I am though considering joining a gym and getting on a rowing machine, to really strengthen the quads, but unlike you and Jill I feel uncomfortable in a gym. In the meantime it’s stationary bike while watching Anthony Bourdain on telly!

      I’m now into my 2nd day of water fast – nothing but water and green Chinese tea. Tomorrow I will segue onto juice, and I will then continue that all the way through October.

      Loosing weight and ridding my body of toxins will help too.

      Bill

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  3. Would you please show a picture of you wearing your brace? I’ve had no luck with the one my doc ordered for me. Big black fabric spongy thing that poked the left back side of my knee with every move I made. Boo hoo.

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    • Hi Barbara – ok, I’ll ask Jen to take some shots today.

      I’m not sure the fabric braces do much other than stabilise the joint, but your doc would know what’s best for your particular condition.

      Bill

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  4. Oops. I found photo. I’m still reading posts backwards. Nope, not like mine at all though price was same. I took mine back for a refund. So glad yours works. If I don’t get better soon, I’ll take photo to my doc. Congratulations on your success with brace and more important with feeling normal when you walk!

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    • Hi Barbara,my brace is called a Donjoy OA Offloader brace.

      There’s a link in a previous blog. You can search on this wordpress site.

      If you do a search on The Brace Shop (their website) you’ll find it. It’s specifically for osteoarthritic knees. I’ve found that they have the cheapest prices, and I think in the US they freight for free.

      Good luck!

      Bill

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  5. That’s amazing Bill, I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to be able to get back out and hike with minimal pain. But take it easy, you don’t want to make it worse!
    Emily

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    • Thanks Anne.

      I haven’t read your latest blog yet, but how is Leon? Or WAS Leon?

      And is it still hot? You’d think at this time of the year it would start to get cooler.,

      I hope you’re having a great time!

      Bill

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  7. Hi Bill, I am stoked that your are stoked 😉 How long are you on that fast. Thumbs up to the green tea – wonderful leaf! Ultreia Ingrid

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    • Hi Ingrid –

      When I was doing Bikram yoga seriously, we always had an October Challenge. That involved doing Bikram yoga every day for the month of October. Not missing one day.

      Anyone who knows Bikram knows how hard that is!

      I would always start it with a fast, and then continued on with a vastly reduced diet. Combined with the intensive yoga it really sorted me out.

      This time I’m starting off with a two day water fast with some tea which Jennifer bought for me as a gift from a store in Mongkok in Hong Kong. Let me know if you want to know the name of it. It’s the kind where you can get 4-5 pots of tea from the one set of leaves. They are little nuggets when you put them in the put but then they open up into these gigantic leaves. It’s beautiful.

      I will then transition into a juice fast for 2 weeks – only juice. Then for the 2nd two weeks of October I will have juice during the day and vegetable juice for soup of an evening – but fully broken down in a blender, and nothing other than vegetables. No stock, no additives of any kind. So I guess it’s heated up vegetable juice!

      I’ll do that right through october, and see what I’m like at the end of it. I’ll supplement it with vitamins, although in my juices I have broccoli, and spinach and green beans – so I’m getting a good mix of nutrients.

      Bill

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      • The little pearl could be Oolong, which is a more oxidized green tea, one of my favorites. Any tea from the Camelia Senensis will be wonderful. Glad you are supplementing with Vitamins. I like your fast! Ingrid

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