12/6 Wellness Wednesday

I can no longer clean and jerk very heavy and I've had to relearn the split jerk with my opposite knee forward. The right knee can't take the pressure of receiving a heavy jerk.

Should You Continue CrossFit With Arthritis?

Full disclosure: I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees. I have impressive bone spurs on both patellas and femurs.
Two years ago the bone spurs in my right knee made contact and created such pressure that it broke my patella. I never knew it was broken until I was at the doctor for my regular arthritis check-up. As we were reviewing my x-rays the doctor asked me when I broke my patella. My response was, "what do you mean when did I break my patella?"
I had no knowledge it was broken. I just knew that it hurt to squat to full depth with anything over 250lbs. It hurt to lunge. It hurt to ski. It hurt to do box jumps. But, it didn't hurt to do everything. My doctor's advice was great. She knew how strong and active I am, and suggested just modifying load and volume. I know how many weighted squats I can do in a week. I have swallowed my ego and know that I might never squat over 250lbs again. I can jump to a 12 inch box but 20 inches can be too much. I can do weighted step-ups at 10 inches, 16 is too much pressure on the knee. 
I know for sure that motion is the lotion. If I stopped moving, my knees would certainly be WORSE! My symptom management includes specific mobility and PT exercises, cortizone injections, hyaluronic acid gel injections, and NSAIDs during big physical competitions like The Open, The Tactical Games or any other big physical endeavor. 
Today I'm sharing a very good podcast on this very topic from BTWB Varied not Random. Pat Sherwood, a CrossFit OG and CEO of CrossFit Linchpin, is looking at a hip replacement. He has been doing CrossFit for about 20 years and is not going to stop moving. He has been modifying workouts for several years now and fully accepts his new reality. I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did. 

Click Here for The WOD

​BRING A FRIEND TO CLASS THIS FRIDAY!!! 

At the end of every Podium Week we always welcome friends to class for free on Friday. Please bring a friend this Friday! Let your Coach know how many friends you're bringing so we can be prepared. ​