A comeback story · Knee arthritis

At 45, I thought my sporting life was over.

Five years without running because of arthritis in my knee. Here's what got my shoes out of the closet.

Mark Ellison
Sales manager · Asheville, NC · Updated October 2026

01 · Before

I'm 52. I work in sales, I live just outside Asheville, North Carolina, and I have two grown kids.

I can't remember a time in my life without sport. Club soccer until I was 25. Then running: half marathons, trail races in the Blue Ridge, a marathon at 40. And pickleball on Thursday nights, with the same group of guys for ten years.

I knew I'd worn my knees out. A torn ACL at 27. Meniscus surgery at 39. Every time, I came back. I figured I always would.

My last trail race, fall 2019. A few months later, I couldn't run a mile.

02 · The diagnosis

The day I heard “it’s over”

At 45, it started with the pain. First at the end of long runs, then from the very first mile. The day after a pickleball game, I'd limp until noon. And my right knee swelled up after every 6-mile run.

X-ray, then MRI. Then the word: osteoarthritis. The cartilage in my right knee was worn down. “That knee has seen a lot of miles,” the doctor said. “Someday we'll talk about a replacement. For now, we manage it.”

“

Nobody told me to quit sports. But that's what I heard.

Mark, 45, the day of the diagnosis

I went home and put my trail shoes in the hall closet. They stayed there for five years.

I was a model patient

Physical therapy, 3 months

Some progress, then a plateau

Anti-inflammatories

Helped in the moment

Two cortisone shots

A few weeks of relief

A hinged brace

Bulky, hot

The stationary bike

My knees liked it. I didn't

The pain was there every day. But the hardest part was Thursday night.

I still went to pickleball. But I sat on the bench by the fence, in my puffer jacket. I watched the guys play, laughed at their jokes, and went home before the beers.

Thursday nights, for almost five years.

What I missed wasn't the cardio. It was being that guy. The one who runs on Sunday mornings, the one you call for a trail race, the one who finishes his runs without pain.

One night my wife said: “You haven't been the same since you stopped running.” She was right. I'd put on eighteen pounds, I wasn't sleeping well. And the less I moved, the weaker my thighs got, and the more my knee hurt. I'd convinced myself that at my age, with my knees, that was just how it was.

03 · The turning point

What changed my mind

I didn't believe the first ad I saw. A Flytex knee sleeve, on Facebook, one fall evening. I'd seen dozens of knee brace promises, and the last one had ended up at the back of a drawer.

But I went and read the reviews. Not the five-star ones shouting miracle: the ones from people like me.

“Playing Pickleball with Arthritic knees is painful but I'm not going to stop. These HELP!”

Paul L. · Verified customer review

“I have been unable to run for a few years due to bone on bone knee joint. With your product, I have returned to running albeit for short distances.”

Janice B. · Verified customer review

“These aren’t “miracle sleeves” but help me get through the activities without worry.”

Michael B. · Verified customer review

Not a miracle. For the first time, someone was being straight with me. So I looked at what it actually was.

What I found

✓  Not a brace: nothing rigid, a soft 20.5-inch sleeve from the top of the ankle to the top of the thigh

✓  Targeted compression: firmer around the kneecap, lighter on the calf

✓  Two silicone bands at the top so it doesn't slide down

That's what sold me: it doesn't lock the knee, it supports it. The compression wraps the joint while you move: the knee feels held, and it hurts less when you're active. For a guy who hurt from the first mile, that was exactly what I was looking for.

And the brand gave me 30 days to change my mind, with a money-back guarantee. Not much of a risk. I ordered it on a Sunday night.

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04 · The comeback

What happened, week by week

Day 1

A brisk 40-minute walk around the lake. On in a few seconds, nothing bothering me. The first thing I noticed: a knee that felt supported from start to finish, and pain that was much quieter than usual.

Week 2

My first run in five years. A slow mile and a quarter, with walk breaks. The next morning, I braced for the usual pain when my foot hit the floor. It was there, but much weaker than I was used to.

Week 6

Two 3-mile runs a week. Slow, but without stopping. I went back to strength work with my physical therapist on the side. The more I moved, the stronger my legs got, and the better my knee held up.

Month 2

Back on the court, one Thursday night. One game, then two. The guys clapped when I walked onto the court. I pretended it didn't get to me.

Today

I run twice a week, I'm back at pickleball every Thursday, and I ran a short trail race this spring. Near the back of the pack. The best race of my life.

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05 · Honestly

Is it right for you?

I want to be honest, because honesty is what convinced me.

What it doesn't do

✕ It didn't cure my arthritis

✕ My cartilage didn't grow back

✕ It doesn't replace your doctor, your physical therapist or strength work

What it changed for me

✓  A knee that feels supported

✓  Less pain while I'm active

✓  My runs, and pickleball on Thursdays

After a big run, or on rainy days, my knee still lets me know. But if you're like me (active your whole life, with knees that have seen a lot of miles, and shoes stuck in the back of a closet because you thought you were done), then it's worth a try.

At 45, I thought my sporting life was over. I'm 52, and I run.

Compression Sleeve V2

Targeted compression around the knee, from the top of the ankle to the top of the thigh, for a knee that feels supported, and relieved while you move.

✓   30-day money-back guarantee

✓   Express US shipping available

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They got back to it too

What our customers write

★★★★★

“These are so supportive giving the right amount of squeeze for tired old knees!”

David M. · Verified review · December 2025

★★★★★

“My old beat up knees actually feel much less painful.”

Mike W. · Verified review · September 2025

★★★★★

“Always somewhat skeptical about new products and the claim of superiority over other brands but, Flytex hands down, makes a huge difference for me and my arthritic knee that has to be replaced”

Kylie G. · Verified review · July 2025

Still not convinced?

Read thousands of verified reviews from our customers on the Compression Sleeves V2.

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THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND NOT AN ACTUAL NEWS ARTICLE, BLOG, OR CONSUMER PROTECTION UPDATE. THE STORY DEPICTED ON THIS SITE AND THE PERSON DEPICTED IN THE STORY ARE NOT ACTUAL NEWS. RATHER, THIS STORY IS BASED ON THE RESULTS THAT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THESE PRODUCTS HAVE ACHIEVED. THE REVIEWS QUOTED ARE REAL CUSTOMER REVIEWS. THE RESULTS PORTRAYED IN THE STORY AND IN THE COMMENTS ARE ILLUSTRATIVE, AND MAY NOT BE THE RESULTS THAT YOU ACHIEVE WITH THESE PRODUCTS.