Hey Katz, well said!

Getting old is not for sissies!

I'm 70 y/o now. In my 30s and 40s I ran about 25 marathons, with a handful under 3 hours. A nd yes, that was waaaaay too many. (I qualified and ran the Boston Marathon in 1994. It was fun, but logistically, a nightmare. One and done for a great race!). While the running didn't ruin my knees, it certainly didn't help that I have osteoarthritis in every joint.

In the last 3 years, I've had both knees replaced along with my right hip and most recently, my left shoulder. I'm in the gym 7x/week and for cardio, I spin 5x/week.

I've never had a gel shot but it seems the relief is there, for a while, If there is one thing I could do differently, I would have had all those joint replacement surgeries 6 months to a year earlier.

Why? Because joint replacement is a good, long-term solution to joint pain caused primarily osteoarthritis.

But that's just my opinion. I also have great ortho surgeons, and do all of the rehab work suggested. I think cortisone and gel are useful when surgery isn't convenient. Eventually though, I think a joint w/o any cartilage (bone on bone) should be replaced, given the unique circumstances of each patient.

All the best Katz!!!!!

Joe