Ignoring a nagging, chronic pre-injury is a risky proposition, especially in a weight bearing joint. That is because once you are feeling pain in your precious knee, hip or ankle lots of damage may have already been done.

Cartilage, the miracle substance that lines the articulating surface of joints and allows bones to move pain-free, has no nerve endings. It will suffer in silence, allowing itself to be worn away, eaten alive by misguided inflammation or other wise destroyed and not utter a peep. Think of chronic inflammation and swelling like cartilage dissolving acid. As it attempts to clear out other foreign bodies in the joint it will also eat your joint cushions for lunch. Pain is not usually felt until the bone and nerves below are exposed. Things you should not ignore or tough-out:

• An old injury to a major joint that is chronically swollen. For a good rule of thumb compare the size of the battle ax joint to the more innocent one.
• Decreased range of motion in a major joint.
• Pain that is minor and tolerable, but chronic.

Wait too long to have an old injury looked at and you may find yourself like me, forced to undergo surgery and endure a long, psychically painful rehab. I spend most of my time on my couch with my leg elevated making conversation with my monkey slippers and praying to the bone gods that the seeds planted in my cartilage lesions will grow. Pay attention to that that amazing body of yours before its too late, good advice from the bone gods, right monkey slipper, left monkey slipper and me.