My Comeback Story: Allan D.

I have been an avid hiker and backpacker for most of my life. My passion is nature and landscape photography and I often find the best pictures are from remote locations that are hard to get to. I have had a full ACL rebuild 25 years ago and then a severed Achilles tendon from playing basketball, but I fully recovered from those set backs and have continued to hike and backpack. This last year I went on some hiked in the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains of Utah and on the descents i noticed my right knee was hurting. Over the next few months I continued to get worse. I tried doing exercises I saw on Youtube to strengthen my knee, but the pain continued. Hiking up a steep incline did not bother my knee, it was the downhill that really hurt. I went to my doctor and he referred me to Desert Ortho and I saw Dr. Hanson. I had an Xray a MRI on my knee and he said it was bone on bone and at some point I will need a knee replacement. When I had my ACL surgery 25 years ago, the doctor said I will eventually get arthritis in the knee and that day has arrived. I did not want to do knee replacement yet, so Dr. Hanson suggested we start with knee injections. It was AMAZING! The pain was gone when I walked out of the clinic. It is now several weeks later and the pain is still gone. Not sure how long it will last and I may have to go back for more injections before this summers backpacking trips into the High Sierra's, but for now the knee injections have been great. I will also continue do the exercises to strengthen my leg muscles, but I am so glad I had the injections which are simple, quick and painless. Watch for more photos from my photo adventures at www.allanduffphotographyadventures.com.