In 2011 I was told by two orthopedic specialists that I needed to have joint replacement on my knees and hips. All my years of skiing, gymnastics, other sports, but mostly injuries from doing those things had caught up to me.

The diagnosis for my knees was degenerative arthritis and no cartilage. My hips were in worse shape with multiple tears in the labrum from ski falls and also degenerative arthritis and moderate to severe cartilage loss.

This blog is about my journey to find an alternative to full joint replacement and the challenges and solutions I have encountered along the way. I hope this will help someone else decide for themselves that there may be other options outside traditional joint replacement worth considering.

I understand that this is not for everyone. It takes commitment, patience and hard work. For me, it’s been worth every step of the journey. Today, now more than six years into this journey, I’m walking on my own two legs and continually improving. I have discovered a myriad of options and things you can do to help yourself and ease the pain. I hope my journey can be an inspiration to you and others.