Retired mail carrier, 64: "For two years, the first ten steps out of bed were the worst part of my day"

Ron tried creams, pills, a knee brace and ice packs. Some of it helped for an hour or so. Here is what he noticed about the cream that "worked" at 7am, and the simple change he made to his mornings.

This story is a dramatization based on common experiences. Ron is a composite character. Individual results vary.

If you sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before you stand up, this is for you.

Maybe you rub your knee first. Maybe you push off the mattress with both hands. Then you take those first stiff steps to the bathroom, one hand on the dresser, waiting for the joint to "warm up."

Most people tell themselves it is just age. Ron told himself that for two years.

Then he figured out why the things he was putting on his knee kept wearing off, and he changed one thing about how he started his day. This is what he uses now. But first, his story.

"I walked twelve miles a day for 31 years"

"I carried mail in Ohio for 31 years. Same route most of that time. Up porch steps, down porch steps, all day, every day, in the snow and in August.

My knees never really complained while I was working. They waited until I retired.

The mornings got bad first. I would wake up feeling fine, swing my legs off the bed, and there it was. Tight. Stiff. Like the knee had rusted overnight.

By the time I had my coffee it would ease up a little. By the evening it was back, a dull ache that made me pick the chair closest to the TV."

"Grandpa, why do you walk like a robot in the morning?"

"My grandson Tyler was seven when he asked me that. He slept over on a Saturday and saw me come out of the bedroom.

He was not being mean. He was laughing. He even did an impression, stiff legs, arms out.

I laughed too. But later that day he asked me to play ball in the yard, and I said 'maybe later, buddy.' I watched him from the porch instead.

That one stayed with me."

Does any of this sound familiar?

• You sit on the edge of the bed before you trust your knees.
• You hold the handrail on the stairs, every time, even at home.
• You plan errands around how much walking or standing they need.
• Getting up from a low couch or a car seat takes two tries.
• Your knee is the reason you say "maybe later."

If you nodded at two or more, keep reading. Ron's story is long, but the part that changed things for him is short.

"Here is everything I tried"

"My wife kept a drawer in the kitchen for my knee. By the end, it was full."

Ron's own rough numbers. Your costs will be different.

"Every one of those things did something. The cream felt good going on. The ice calmed it down at night. The sleeve made me feel more steady.

But none of it lasted. I would be fine at the kitchen table and stiff again by the time I got to the grocery store."

The part nobody explained to him

"It was my daughter Karen who said it out loud. She watched me rub cream into my knee, wash my hands, pull on my jeans, and get in the car.

'Dad, where do you think that cream is right now?'

She had a point. Half of it was on my hands before I washed them. The rest was rubbing off on the inside of my jeans. By the time I needed my knee, most of what I put on it was somewhere else."

That is the problem with most things people try at home. They can feel good, but they do not stay where the stiffness is. A cream is gone when you wash your hands or put on pants. An ice pack lasts until it melts. A pill goes through your whole body, not just your knee.

So Karen started looking for something that would stay on the knee and keep working through the morning, while Ron went about his day.

What his daughter found

She found Wellnee, a thin herbal patch that goes directly on the knee and, according to the company, can be worn for up to 8 hours.

The idea is simple. Instead of rubbing something in and hoping it stays, you stick it on and leave it there.

The company describes the patch in three layers:

• An adhesive layer that holds it in place, so it does not slide when you bend your knee.
• An ingredient layer that stores the herbal extracts.
• A soft outer layer that keeps its shape under clothes.

According to Wellnee, the ingredients pass through the skin to the area where the patch is applied.

Karen liked that she recognized the ingredients. The company lists wormwood, ginger oil, capsaicin (from chili peppers), menthol, camphor, cinnamon, saffron and borneol, among others. Several of these have been used in traditional herbal remedies for a very long time, and the company describes ginger oil as warming.

"I did not expect much," Ron says. "I had a drawer full of things that did not last. But it was cheap enough to try, and it came with a guarantee. So I tried it."

How Ron uses it

1. Peel the film off the back of the patch.
2. Press it firmly onto the knee, smoothing the edges.
3. Go about the morning. Take it off after up to 8 hours, as the company recommends.

"I put it on while the coffee is brewing. That is the whole routine. No greasy hands, nothing on my jeans, and it stays under my pants all morning."

Ron's first weeks

This is Ron's experience, not a promise. Everyone's knees are different, and some people notice less than he did.

What other customers say

The following reviews were posted on the manufacturer's website. Individual experiences vary.

According to the company, Wellnee has more than 200,000 customers, and over 70% of them come back to order again.

Is it right for you?

The company also recommends testing a small area first if you have very sensitive skin or known allergies.

Two ways your next morning can go

You can keep doing what you are doing. The cream, the ice, the drawer. Sit on the edge of the bed, wait for the knee to loosen up, and plan the day around it. Many people live like that for years.

Or you can try one thing that is different from everything in the drawer: something that stays on the knee instead of wearing off. If it does not work for you, the company says you have 30 days to ask for your money back.

Ron puts it this way: "I was going to spend the money on another tube of cream anyway."

Check availability and today's price here.

Ron

P.S. Last weekend Tyler asked me to play catch before I had even finished my coffee. I said yes. That was the whole reason I tried this.

P.P.S. I am a retired mail carrier, not a doctor. If your knee pain is new, sudden or getting worse, please talk to your doctor before trying anything.