It starts as a small discomfort.

Then you feel it going down the stairs.

Later, when you try to get out of bed in the morning.

Without realizing it, you begin planning your entire day around what your knee allows you to do.

You say no to plans.

You avoid walking too much.

You take painkillers just to get through the day.

The pain is no longer just in your knee —

it’s in everything you’ve stopped doing.