For the first time in 12 months, my right knee is feeling strong and stable. I haven’t needed to ice it in 3 weeks. The muscles around my knee, particularly the inside of the quads, are bulking up and the tone is back. However, I’ll never get back the medial cartilage that was removed last September. I turned 40 in March and at least a third of my male friends have had the same operation. By the fifth decade, our bodies start to wear out. A combination of abuse, heredity and just living life starts to catch up. In response …