Senior Connections Senior Connections Sept. 2018 | Page 2

Back in the game Arthritis treatment has helped rural New Germany man continue an active lifestyle BY STARRLA CRAY Associate Editor Last winter, arthritis was starting to be a real pain for 67-year-old Bruce Johnson of rural New Germa- ny. “It was getting to the point where it was painful to bowl,” Johnson recalled. He tried wrapping his left knee before games, but that wasn’t the best solution, either. “So, I was taking time off from bowling, because it bothered me,” he said. In February, Johnson went to see his regular physi- cian, Dr. Curtis Whisler, at Catalyst Medical Clinic in Watertown. Whisler recommended a cortisone shot to help relieve infl ammation in the knee. Johnson remembers being told that “sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.” He quickly found out his knee was in the “don’t” category. “I had relief for one week . . . and then it came back just as much as it was before,” Johnson said. After receiving hyaluronic acid injections for arthritis in his left knee earlier this year, Bruce Johnson (right) is now back to enjoying his favorite activities – including umpiring youth baseball and softball game