During my freshman year of high school, I started experiencing significant pain in both knees. I went to physical therapy, but there was nothing they could do to replace the cartilage that had worn away from ballet. At fourteen I had the knees of an arthritic, old man. Unfortunately, I'm not the only young adult with significant joint damage.

After six years with "old man knees" I've finally got the daily system down pat.

Avoiding Stairs

I hate avoiding stairs. I know no one actually likes going up and down stairs, but on certain days it's excruciating. You have to ask yourself if the embarrassment of taking the elevator and looking lazy is more painful than your joints grinding. The answer is always yes, and eventually ignoring the stares and judgment gets easier.

Unavoidable Stairs

Sometimes you can't avoid them. So with every single step, you can feel the joint grinding what remaining cartilage you have into dust... not exactly but still, it hurts really bad. On certain days my knees will actually creak if I go down a flight of stairs.

Many people around you will wonder if you have a pill problem. There are days when I honestly feel like I would perish without Advil, so they're not wrong. But hey, if Advil is going to help me get through the day and forget the fact that I'm suffering from arthritis forty years before I'm supposed to be, so be it.

Exercise

Cardio was the biggest adjustment for me. Running, even with my knee bands for support, was not worth it. I tried just about every cardio machine at Alabama's rec center before I finally found one that didn't require any painful impact. It's been three years and I still can never remember what it's called. A crossramp I think? Who knows, but I'm grateful for whoever came up with it.

Explaining it to Others

On average I probably have to explain the creaking in my knees to one person a day. Most people associate arthritis with old people. It's easier to just say "significant joint damage" and just move on.

Predicting the Weather

Fun fact: bad joints can detect the changes in air pressure that come before storms. While this would be cool, the way they detect the changes is by causing a good amount of discomfort. This discomfort does not go away until the storm does. Living in Alabama with its week-long storms has not been a fun adventure for me.

There's No Relief

Sometimes Advil and Tylenol help, but they wear off eventually. Sitting too long is painful, standing too long is unbearable. Sometimes the pain fades into the background, but it's always there. Joint damage is no joke, y'all.