Cycling UK Forum

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 2:28pm

Why stop smoking when the NHS (me and you) will pay for your treatment in the years to come
Why lose weight by making an effort when your overburdened NHS can pay the bills for your weight problems later in life
Why put any effort into anything, rely on others to do it for you later

Congratulations on your achievements. Given what you know now, what would have to have changed for you to start on the road to fitness 10 or 20 years earlier ?

531colin wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 4:03pm

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:24am ...........
I had VERY bad pain from my right knee after falling directly on to it thanks to a woman driver (sorry) stopping no indication in front of me many years ago. Told Arthritis.....................

Did you have a weight-bearing x ray of the knee, or MRI scan?

I am retired NHS I had all required

axel_knutt wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 3:04pm

Carlton green wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 2:43pm

Why stop smoking when the NHS (me and you) will pay for your treatment in the years to come
Why lose weight by making an effort when your overburdened NHS can pay the bills for your weight problems later in life
Why put any effort into anything, rely on others to do it for you later

Credit Pinhead.

Quite, but it’s not as simple as that and putting the burden of control on the consumer is unhelpful. There are very skilled people out there whose job it is to pursued us to make choices that are wrong for us and right for the people that employ them. Do you remember the slogans “Guinness is good for you” and “A Mars a day helps you work rest and play”? Do you remember the 1960’s and 70’s when smoking was a perfectly normal and sociable thing to do? Have a search through the advertising of the period and all of its persuasive power.

It's time that healthy foodstuffs were subsidised from taxes on the unhealthy, but it's not likely to happen any time soon because of the vested interests. This paper is interesting, it concludes that taxing unhealthy foods alone will increase CVD & cancer, and that there won't be any reduction unless the tax revenue is used to subsidise the healthy stuff as well.

Another issue is defining healthy and unhealthy foods, the understanding of foods and their interactions with the body still seems to be evolving. Go back 20 years and eggs may have been a candidate for taxation but from what I understand they're no longer considered as detrimental to health as they once they were ?

There are better people than I to post about it but beware that big pharma - or certainly elements if it - is out to make money regardless.

But Dr. Fiona Godlee, editor of the BMJ, specializes in the unexpected.

The puppet she's holding is dressed as a doctor, complete with a stethoscope around its neck. Its strings represent the hidden hand of the pharmaceutical industry.

Godlee keeps it on her desk to remind her of the dark forces at work in science and medicine. And she is blunt about the results.

"I think we have to call it what it is. It is the corruption of the scientific process."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/bmj-fion ... -1.3541769

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 4:18pm

531colin wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 4:03pm

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:24am ...........
I had VERY bad pain from my right knee after falling directly on to it thanks to a woman driver (sorry) stopping no indication in front of me many years ago. Told Arthritis.....................

Did you have a weight-bearing x ray of the knee, or MRI scan?

I am retired NHS I had all required

What procedures, please?

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 6:14pm ...........
NONE of your business !

As soon as you make claims about a miracle cure on a public forum, its everybody's business.

Let me say where I am with this.

If you are going to claim on a public forum that cycling has "cured" knee arthritis, you must expect to be questioned; not just about the diagnosis, but about the whole thing.

How was the arthritis diagnosed?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis involving knees. This is basically wear of the articular cartilage, there are secondary changes. Articular cartilage has limited ability to repair; once its gone, its gone and you are left with bone on bone contact. (hence the weight-bearing x ray...a normal joint shows a "joint gap" because the distal end of the femur and the proximal end of the tibia are separated by 2 lots of articular cartilage, plus synovial fluid. No cartilage, no gap.)

If cycling is a cure for arthritis, how is it that I know so many cyclists who have had (or are waiting for) replacement hips and knees? (I am 77, so I also know quite a few non-cyclists similarly waiting for replacement surgery)

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:24am When I came to this forum, I had just started back to cycling, I never really did it anyway before just the odd day in a year.

I had VERY bad pain from my right knee after falling directly on to it thanks to a woman driver (sorry) stopping no indication in front of me many years ago. Told Arthritis.

On 3rd July I have an appointment to get ready for surgery, that is now, as of Friday last cancelled by me, I have had NO, 0, NIL pain for almost a year since cycling.

At 66 and a single father I need to live as long as possible for my Autistic son …

I have gone from a 48" waste to medium clothes, 22 stone to, today 13st 12lb and still losing, 100% simply by cutting out bread, cakes, takeaways, crisps (not all together just sensibly).

BUT and this is the but, I believe cycling has saved my life, in all 100% sincerity (now I will get knocked off, just my luck).

Two years ago I would be out of breath dressing, walking and sweat like a dog going out in summer, now (OK it is an E bike, sorry) I live to go out and more importantly live.

Thanks to cycling you can, "YOU" CAN, get out, get fitter but more importantly "enjoy life"

The original post, + my bold.

I don’t think it unfair to say that cycling and loosing weight - particularly going from massively overweight towards the healthy range - will have improved Pinhead’s health. The diagnosis of arthritis may or may not have been correct - more importantly he’s now not in pain - and if Pinhead wishes to keep how that diagnosis was arrived at private then imho that’s OK - it’s his right even.

531colin wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:11pm

How was the arthritis diagnosed? Did you have any diagnostic procedures, or was it a case of a morbidly obese man walking into the GP surgery and the GP just saying the most convenient thing?

The OP says he was 'told arthritis'.
It seems to me that as soon as you have any knee problems the stock answer is ‘you’ve got arthritis' They told me that in my forties. Because I was constantly walking on uneven ground and because my job was tough on knees. The GP advice though was to keep cycling, keep playing squash, keep doing everything to keep the muscle around the joints strong.
Yes I have arthritis and it’s obvious now aged 72 looking at some of my, especially hand, joints.
A friend in the village told in his fifties he had arthritis in the knees. Told him, to ease up on his activities so he stopped playing squash and eased off on cycling. He is nearly 10 years younger than me has no visual signs of any arthritis yet he is now troubled with his knees far more than me.
Cycling can’t cure arthritis but I’m fairly sure it staves off the worst it can offer.

531colin wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:11pm Congratulations on the weight loss, but again that isn't cycling is it, thats down to diet.

In fairness it is part of it. If you are out on your bike you are away from the biscuit tin and burning calories. I go on tour and lose a stone a month for the first couple of months.

If cycling was part of lifestyle changes including calorie reduction I think giving some credit to cyling is fair enough.

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:24am When I came to this forum, I had just started back to cycling, I never really did it anyway before just the odd day in a year.

I had VERY bad pain from my right knee after falling directly on to it thanks to a woman driver (sorry) stopping no indication in front of me many years ago. Told Arthritis.

On 3rd July I have an appointment to get ready for surgery, that is now, as of Friday last cancelled by me

.

I've probably offset your NHS cost savings by crashing 3 times since 2020. Really trying hard to give that nasty habit up.

Congratulations too on getting fitter and losing weight. Cycling might help your son have a more optimistic future too. I hope you have better luck in that department than me. My youngest used to love getting out cycling with me but I think I'm cramping his style now. He'll come around to it some time -- on the plus side he wants to follow in my footsteps by doing some weightlifting -- trying to impress some girl he has his eye on.

Cycling has most definitely improved my knees especially my right one -- my theory is that it seems to strengthen the muscles around the knee and thus keep it from twisting out of alignment in normal use allowing it to recover from the rigors of life.

Cowsham wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 9:28pm

Pinhead wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:24am When I came to this forum, I had just started back to cycling, I never really did it anyway before just the odd day in a year.

I had VERY bad pain from my right knee after falling directly on to it thanks to a woman driver (sorry) stopping no indication in front of me many years ago. Told Arthritis.

On 3rd July I have an appointment to get ready for surgery, that is now, as of Friday last cancelled by me

.

I've probably offset your NHS cost savings by crashing 3 times since 2020. Really trying hard to give that nasty habit up.

Congratulations too on getting fitter and losing weight. Cycling might help your son have a more optimistic future too. I hope you have better luck in that department than me. My youngest used to love getting out cycling with me but I think I'm cramping his style now. He'll come around to it some time -- on the plus side he wants to follow in my footsteps by doing some weightlifting -- trying to impress some girl he has his eye on.

Cycling has most definitely improved my knees especially my right one -- my theory is that it seems to strengthen the muscles around the knee and thus keep it from twisting out of alignment in normal use allowing it to recover from the rigors of life.

I have the letter (attached) to get me in to hospital for the operation on my knee, have only been waiting just over a year and a half, two steroid injections, (they can NOT do an op for a year after the injections)

However after going from 20+ to 13+ stone and riding I have 100% NO pain in my knee whatsoever, am fitter than I have ever been and I 100% think you are right

irc wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 9:14pm

531colin wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 8:11pm Congratulations on the weight loss, but again that isn't cycling is it, thats down to diet.

In fairness it is part of it. If you are out on your bike you are away from the biscuit tin and burning calories. I go on tour and lose a stone a month for the first couple of months.

If cycling was part of lifestyle changes including calorie reduction I think giving some credit to cyling is fair enough.

This is it also, when I am even just doing something (cycling) for a short time, say home to the cafe tyn Tregaron, 14 mile round trip, perhaps 4 days a week, I get there and have a coffee and toast, that sets me up REALLY for the day, instead of sitting at home, gets you out, fresh air etc. I am suggesting a weekly run out for our Autism group I started, in fact I started 2 Autism groups because Autism NHS Carmarthen closed their once a month groups so I started two.

The Carmarthen one is now attended by MENCAP and MIND occasionally and MENCAP kindly have paid the £35 a month for the Library room for a year for us.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/336032735843023/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553859953971

Cowsham wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 9:28pm Cycling has most definitely improved my knees especially my right one -- my theory is that it seems to strengthen the muscles around the knee and thus keep it from twisting out of alignment in normal use allowing it to recover from the rigors of life.

I share that experience & theory with you, riding really seems to help me as long as I'm spinning lowish gears rather than mashing big ones. My knees seem to be better shape now than they were 30 years ago (wish I could say the same about the rest of me, but I'll take better knees!)

Pete.

pjclinch wrote: ↑25 Jun 2024, 10:31am

Cowsham wrote: ↑24 Jun 2024, 9:28pm Cycling has most definitely improved my knees especially my right one -- my theory is that it seems to strengthen the muscles around the knee and thus keep it from twisting out of alignment in normal use allowing it to recover from the rigors of life.

I share that experience & theory with you, riding really seems to help me as long as I'm spinning lowish gears rather than mashing big ones. My knees seem to be better shape now than they were 30 years ago (wish I could say the same about the rest of me, but I'll take better knees!)

Pete.

It's surely now a commonplace that regular exercise of the various body parts will be the best therapy for keeping them functional, assuming the body part isn't badly damaged and unable to bear the normal stresses evolution designed it for. All that old guff about "rest it" is surely now just a tattered old flat cap of a 1950s design.

And no body part functions in isolation, as Cowsham suggests. Any exercise will improve not only a weak or suspect body part but all the contributory functions - supporting adjacent parts but also the general systems such as blood supply, nerve control functions and several others.

***********
I used to swim a great deal but, because of various life events, haven't swum regularly for about 15 years. The ladywife is a swimming addict and recently suggested that I might benefit from recommencing the regular swimming, as I'm 75 and so prone to the ossification so common amongst my age-peers.

The first few sessions have revealed a stiff neck and upper back muscles, as well as a lack of stamina so I had to have a rest after each bout of 2 lengths of the pool, etc.. After just eight sessions over four weeks, though, things have vastly improved. I can now swim (with a better style) for one kilometer continuously and I'll be up to a mile in a couple of weeks time, probably. My upper body feels looser and more generally relaxed. I expect to get faster for the same perceived effort and perhaps back to my old standard for swimming.

Use it or lose it.