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CNN Live Today
Interview With Struan Coleman
Aired December 18, 2003 - 11:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, you talk about bad knees from running, I know a lot of you at home can really feel what the president is feeling. We called on our own orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Struan Coleman, brought him in in New York City to help us understand what the president faces and what might be done. Dr. Coleman, good morning.
DR. STRUAN COLEMAN, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON: Morning, Daryn. How are you?
KAGAN: I'm doing great. My knees are feeling a lot better than President Bush's this morning.
COLEMAN: Good.
KAGAN: Let's talk about this MRI. What picture does that give the orthopedic surgeons?
COLEMAN: The MRIs have become more sophisticated over the last few years. We can now look inside the knee, and not just at the meniscus which is the thing that's most commonly torn in someone like President Bush who's active, is a runner in his fifties.
We can also look at the cartilage in the knee, which is the coating on the end of the bone, and allowing for a smooth gliding motion of the joint, and also acts as the shock absorber for the joint when you do running or any other type of physical activity.
KAGAN: The president was saying that apparently he was starting to feel some pain in the front part of his knee. Is that a tell-tale sign that something's not quite right inside there?
COLEMAN: The front part of the knee is more indicative in a runner with a kneecap and the tendon under the kneecap. Pain on the inside or outside of the back of the knee is more indicative of a meniscal tear.
I don't want to guess on the results of the MRI because I don't know them, but we'll probably see early softening of the cartilage that is seen in almost any active person, a runner in their 50s. That just comes from loss of water in the cartilage. You lose that spongeyness to the cartilage. So you put more wear and tear on the knee.
KAGAN: I know the runners want to know, what do we have to do so he can get back out there running again? COLEMAN: That's the big question. If you start to have early breakdown of cartilage you have to be very careful with impact loading activities such as running. His doctors down there in Washington may advise him to back off on the running a little bit, and do more activities such as elliptical trainer...
KAGAN: He's been doing that, Dr. Coleman. He wants to get back out on the road. It's like a drug for us, you've got to get your fix.
COLEMAN: I understand. But I have to tell my patients often, Look, you have to cut back on the running and do things that hurt the knee a little bit less.
KAGAN: Are there options? Are there surgical options that you can use to clean things out so you can go back to running again?
COLEMAN: If he has a meniscal tear. Unfortunately today, in 2003, '04, we don't have a way to fix cartilage. Early wear of the cartilage, we don't have anything for that. There are companies working on that.
KAGAN: That's supposed to be on your to-do list.
COLEMAN: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
COLEMAN: I'll be back on CNN if I do that.
KAGAN: You certainly will. And selling your stock on Wall Street, too. Dr. Struan Coleman, appreciate that. Thank you on behalf of all our runners out there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 18, 2003 - 11:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, you talk about bad knees from running, I know a lot of you at home can really feel what the president is feeling. We called on our own orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Struan Coleman, brought him in in New York City to help us understand what the president faces and what might be done. Dr. Coleman, good morning.
DR. STRUAN COLEMAN, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON: Morning, Daryn. How are you?
KAGAN: I'm doing great. My knees are feeling a lot better than President Bush's this morning.
COLEMAN: Good.
KAGAN: Let's talk about this MRI. What picture does that give the orthopedic surgeons?
COLEMAN: The MRIs have become more sophisticated over the last few years. We can now look inside the knee, and not just at the meniscus which is the thing that's most commonly torn in someone like President Bush who's active, is a runner in his fifties.
We can also look at the cartilage in the knee, which is the coating on the end of the bone, and allowing for a smooth gliding motion of the joint, and also acts as the shock absorber for the joint when you do running or any other type of physical activity.
KAGAN: The president was saying that apparently he was starting to feel some pain in the front part of his knee. Is that a tell-tale sign that something's not quite right inside there?
COLEMAN: The front part of the knee is more indicative in a runner with a kneecap and the tendon under the kneecap. Pain on the inside or outside of the back of the knee is more indicative of a meniscal tear.
I don't want to guess on the results of the MRI because I don't know them, but we'll probably see early softening of the cartilage that is seen in almost any active person, a runner in their 50s. That just comes from loss of water in the cartilage. You lose that spongeyness to the cartilage. So you put more wear and tear on the knee.
KAGAN: I know the runners want to know, what do we have to do so he can get back out there running again? COLEMAN: That's the big question. If you start to have early breakdown of cartilage you have to be very careful with impact loading activities such as running. His doctors down there in Washington may advise him to back off on the running a little bit, and do more activities such as elliptical trainer...
KAGAN: He's been doing that, Dr. Coleman. He wants to get back out on the road. It's like a drug for us, you've got to get your fix.
COLEMAN: I understand. But I have to tell my patients often, Look, you have to cut back on the running and do things that hurt the knee a little bit less.
KAGAN: Are there options? Are there surgical options that you can use to clean things out so you can go back to running again?
COLEMAN: If he has a meniscal tear. Unfortunately today, in 2003, '04, we don't have a way to fix cartilage. Early wear of the cartilage, we don't have anything for that. There are companies working on that.
KAGAN: That's supposed to be on your to-do list.
COLEMAN: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
COLEMAN: I'll be back on CNN if I do that.
KAGAN: You certainly will. And selling your stock on Wall Street, too. Dr. Struan Coleman, appreciate that. Thank you on behalf of all our runners out there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
