i would like to walk more and be able to, but my knees hurt badly. unlike some on this forum, i cannot walk 1 mile or jog. when i start losing weight, will this help me walk better (or start too?)

I had one knee that has hurt alot in the past, my PCP gave me a shot of cortizone in the knee.

The pain went away for months.

I am hoping with the weight loss it will not come back.

Hope you can find some relief.

I have lost 70 pounds and I can tell the difference in the pressure on my joints (knees and ankles) when going up and down stairs. FWIW..............

It might help. For me, the damage was done, but it hasn't gotten worse.

as the weight comes off the pressure on the knee joint should be reduced. Until then I would suggest doing water aerobics if you can?

I have been coping with chronic residual pain from my car accident in one of my hips. Having to go off of the prescription NASID medication prior to the band surgery has made it painful for me to drive, much less walk or use my recumbent exercise bike.

I have tried both ice and heat, neither of which provided any significant relief from the pain. A cortisone injection into the joint did not provide much relief, I was finally given permission by the surgeon to occasionally take an Advil Liquigel.

I am not advocating the use of a NASID, but in extreme cases, it is better than being in pain to the degree that activities of daily living are not met.

This is an issue you might want to discuss with your doctor. Managing the inflammation causing pain is better than being inactive...IMHO.

Yes it will help!!! When I was 365 I could hardly walk the grocery store. At 215 I do a 3-3.5 mile walk daily and then do 1 hr Water based exercise at night. I highly recommend water based exercise for heavy people. I started out doing lap swimming but with the following: snorkle (makes it easier to swim since you don't have to worry about the breathing), and a water proof MP3 player makes the time go by soooooo much faster (available on Amazon and so worth the money). When I can't get a lane at the pool I join in the water aerobics class. You can ask the instructor for ways to me the exercise easier for now and harder later on.

If I can walk out in front of the entire high school swim team in my fat lady swimdress and weighing 365 pounds ANYONE can.

Exercise is like a self forfilling prophecy-the more you work out the less you weigh. The less you weigh the easier it is to work out.

Some surgeons will allow the use of NSAIDs in banded patients, some won't. As the previous poster said, speak with yours. Mine allows for occasional use. But I did have to come off of daily usage of prescription strength as well.

You might be able to take a small dose on days when you are going to walk. Approved by your surgeon, of course. I agree with Honk about Water exercise, great for arthritic joints.

I personally avoid NSAIDs like the plague. I was on a perscription strength for over a year and had a STROKE at 39. Research has since showed high levels of NSAID usage can lead to higher likelyhood of blood clots.

My first Ortho while an A!@#)^% was correct when he said "Your knee won't stop hurting until you loose the weight."

After my stroke I went to another doctor who ended up perscribing a product called Synvisc which is a series of 3 injections which is like this gel that expands within the knee joint. If my first doctor had given me those shots instead of the NSAID maybe I would'nt have had a stroke.

Now that I've lost quite a bit of weight I have very limited knee pain and don't need the injections.