plezWorld - Squeaky Wheels

in my days as a wiry, quick, and athletic youngster, plezWorld spent countless (and when i say countless, i mean thousands of) hours honing my skills on the basketball court and abusing any unsuspecting chap in a grueling two set beatdown on the tennis court. growing up in New York, one was expected to play 'ball and emulate basketball gods like Walt (Clyde) Frazier, Earl (The Pearl) Monroe, Nate (Tiny) Archibald, Wilt (The Stilt) Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and my personal favorite, Julius (Dr. J) Erving. tattered sneakers (with the requisite hole in the toe), white tube socks (with the requisite hole in the toe), sprained thumbs, and scabbed knees from numerous scrapes with the blacktop court were as much a part of the game as the chain-link nets, crooked rims, and metal backboards of the neighborhood park where i played until lack of sunlight sent me home (clinton street, sleepy hollow, ny).

the Georgia Tech SAC (student athletic center) was where i spent my college days... often forsaking my studies for 3 or 4 hour marathon runs on Court #1 (where all the ballers played)! i twisted my spindly ankles and twisted my right knee more times than i'd like to recall. OUCH! a quick ride to the student infirmary, a hasty x-ray, an ice pack, crutches, and a bottle of those 500 mg Tylenol pills with Codeine for the pain. a few weeks later, as soon as i could bend and put some pressure on my knee, i'd be back in SAC with my high-flying, reckless abandon game of ball... until my poor knees buckled under the pressure of my game. this went on until well after graduation... when i graduated to church league basketball. neither the jersey colors nor the numbers mattered... as long as i had a trusty knee brace, some new high top leather Nikes, and a jock strap, i was good to go.

while this was going on, plezWorld also played team tennis (ALTA Tennis) for over 10 years on various teams in the Atlanta area. joy for me was waiting for the summer sun to set around 8:30 PM and then spending the next 2 to 3 hours running baseline to net playing 4 or 5 sets against one or two other players under the lights. i have a couple of frat brothers who were so traumatized by the abusive nature of my game that they have developed amnesia concerning having ever played against me. when i was in college, i used to hit with one of the Georgia Tech Assistant Tennis coaches on days that the team didn't practice.

then about 5 or 6 years ago, i noticed that i had lost more than a step (in the first game of the season, i committed 4 fouls in the first 3 minutes of the game)! i finally hung it up when this wily high-flying cat leapt over me for a dunk... and all i remember seeing was the Air Jordan logo on the bottom of his shoes! my days as a thin hipped, wiry church league terror were over... and the pain had only just begun. my knees began to squeak and scream like those on Joe Namath. i can even hear them when i'm going up a flight of stairs.

a few months ago, i spoke to a frat brother of mine who referees high school and church league basketball games about the pain in my knees. he swears by GLUCOSAMINE & CHONDROITIN dietary supplements... they reported repair and rejuvenate the cartilage around your joints. a two month supply runs about $25.

so, plezWorld has been popping 3 of these big ass horse pills daily in hopes that they'll restore my aching knees to their pre-injury state (more than likely, i probably need one of those operations to "clean out" the debris in my knees... but i got queasy just typing that!). i'll report back on how my knees are doing in a few months... wish 'em luck!

About Glucosamine & Chondroitin:
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are substances found naturally in the body. Glucosamine is a form of amino sugar that is believed to play a role in cartilage formation and repair. Chondroitin sulfate is part of a large protein molecule (proteoglycan) that gives cartilage elasticity.

Both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are sold as dietary or nutritional supplements. They are extracted from animal tissue: glucosamine from crab, lobster or shrimp shells; and chondroitin sulfate from animal cartilage, such as tracheas or shark cartilage.

Past studies show that some people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis (OA) taking either glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate reported pain relief at a level similar to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Some research indicates that the supplements might also slow cartilage damage in people with OA.