One in six people in the UK roughly are living with some kind of arthritis or other. It comes in many forms – mine, osteoarthritis, is a degeneration of the joints. It stemmed from years of running on tarmac. I used to do 5km, 10km, 10 mile and half marathons – none of them particularly quickly (quite the opposite in fact). I had to stop running because my knees hurt. The day I stopped running was the day of the Great South Run in 2013 – I literally stopped mid run as the pain had got too much for me. I hobbled back to the race village on Southsea Common and handed my race chip back and that was it. My running days were very much behind me.
From then on a I walked. I walked miles. Everyday. I set myself challenges to keep my motivation levels high – things like could I walk 150 miles in a month? Turns out I could and more – but always with knee pain.
The first bit of relief I had for my knees was in 2020 when I was introduced to the Wim Hof Method. That first ice bath I ever did was a challenge. It was without question the longest two minutes of my life but for ten days, maybe two weeks after I walked pain free. From that point on I used cold to ease my knees and it worked. My pain was significantly reduced and I felt amazing.
My journey with the Wim Hof Method continued and ultimately I became an instructor of the practice (doing my master module training on crutches with a torn meniscus).
In April 2023 I had surgery on my torn meniscus. My consultant then told me I was in for more knee problems and sadly he has been proved right. Back in January, as I was stepping off a ladder to go into my attic, my knee made a sound no knee should make. Instantly there was pain – my knee locked straight and remained that way for a month. In the weeks that followed and several x-rays and an MRI scan later I discovered I have osteoarthritis under my kneecap.
My osteoarthritis is now with me for life. There are currently no cures for it – but there are ways I can ease the pain I am in without the need for pharmaceuticals. Ice and the cold is one … but there are more and over the coming weeks and months I will be sharing more details on here and on Instagram of what I am trying. If you’re one of the millions of people around the world who also have some form of arthritis or other – I hope what I share will help you. Know that I see you. I hear you. I understand.
