When I got out of bed this morning my husband suggested that I take the ElliptiGo out for a ride. I really wanted to, but decided to take it out later in the day (after work) as I did not want to do anything to aggravate my knee before my appointment with the specialist, which was only a couple of hours later.

At 8:00 AM I went to the Rothman Institute in Sewell, NJ to see a sports Medicine Specialist. I was forewarned by various websites to wear shorts, so I wore a short/skirt combination, commonly called a "Skort". As soon as I arrived my knees were x-rayed in a standing, slightly bent, and seated position (from overhead). I was then seen by one intern, who manipulated my left knee this way and that. When I was asked to straighten it from a bent position, i heard this grinding sound that I have heard before. Maybe it was because it was the focus of the moment, or that the small room was very quiet, but it sounded like someone was walking a crushed glass.

Then the doctor and a second intern entered the room. My doctor is Dr. Franks, who showed me the x-rays. He showed me where some slight degeneration to the meniscus could be seen, and that was age related. He then showed me the overhead shot which showed I have a couple of prominent bone spurs on my knee-cap (and smaller ones on the right knee). I also have one at the head of the left humorous (anterior) which is part of the cause of the grinding noise. He told me that as I have not had any significant injury, and there is a history of joint issues in my family, this is largely hereditary. Dr. Frank then did his own examination of my knee, and was not at gentle as the intern. When he pressed on the knee-cap, it elicited a yelp out of me. He told me it was necessary to judge the movement of the knee-cap and what I felt was the bone spur. (Ouch). He also confirmed my suspicion of a Bakers Cyst, but said it was very small, and not significant enough to go through the trauma of an aspiration (thankfully).

He told me that the primary treatment for my situation is an eventual joint replacement; however, I am not there yet. He told me that the current treatment plan will focus on delaying the need for replacement for as long as possible. He has developed the following course of treatment:

• Steroid shot in the knee to reduce inflammation.
• Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles associated with a knee-cap.
• Script for a brace I will wear when engaging in strenuous activity involving the leg.
• Not running or "impact activities" until further notice.

 Dr. Frank advised me that he approved of my use of an elliptical at the gym, as well as the pools. I told him that I had believed he would tell me not to run, and for that reason I invested in an ElliptiGo. Dr. Frank told me that he was not familiar with it, but was in favor of me using it if I felt comfortable with it. He then stuck a needle in my knee and gave me the steroid shot. He instructed me to avoid any strenuous activity for 48 hours, including bikes and elliptical. I commented that I just brought the ElliptiGo home last night, and had not yet ridden it. I told him that if I had known about the restriction I would have gone for a ride this morning. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and suggested that life can be hard like that sometimes. Basically, he told me to get over it, but in a nice way.

I told Dr. Frank that if I could run, I would not have invested in the ElliptiGo. I told him that I would like to submit the cost of the machine to my health-care provider to see if they might cover the cost. He suggested that it was worth a try. I was provided with a script that stated "No impact sports or activities (running)."

I told Dr. Frank that I intended to see if the Vertua Physical Therapy Center is in my healthcare network. He told me that he was not familiar with them, but if I was going to go there, he wanted me to keep him advised of my care there. He said I would be his "Guinea-pig" in regards to their facility. He then told me that he wanted me to make my first appointment with the Physical Therapist now, as there can be a waiting list, but he wanted me to schedule the first appointment for AFTER my follow-up with him in two weeks.