Non-surgical PVNS Remedies

Some doctors are telling patients to get radiation treatments post-op to "kill pvns". 
No it doesn't kill it.  In fact it can mutate it and cause it to become malignant.
It has been known to slow the growth of PVNS but it has not proven to prevent it from growing at all.
Perhaps a handful of people who have received radiation believe it kept it from returning because it was eradicated during the surgery.  I'm very weary of radiation treatments.  Not only are they very hard on your body but they hurt and make you feel awful.  Or so I've heard.  I refuse to get them.

Many people with PVNS have suggested that instead of radiation, try using Frankincense Oil.  They swear by it.  Personally I have not tried Frankincense Oil.  I would assume you could use it topically as well as ingesting it.  Some are also going toward Cannabis Oil as well but since the ability to use it has been restricted in the US for so long there are only a handful of PVNS sufferers that are allowed to try it out legally.

Currently I am working with my acupuncturist to obtain Chinese herbs to see if those will help.

Just remember, there are always healthier alternatives than such invasive if not expensive approaches to controlling or eliminating PVNS.

Exercising with PVNS

The limitations that people develop with PVNS may cause them to compensate for their time being immobile.  After a stint of swelling and pain and return to mobility they may be tempted to do more activities.  But beware.  The over exertion of your joint while it's trying to navigate with extra tissue that does not belong there can aggravate it and put you right back into immobile status. 

For those thinking of taking up hiking or running you may want to consider embracing the low imact sports.  Here is a list of activities based on what has and has not worked for me or others with PVNS that I know of (asssuming that you have it in your knee like I do):

Swimming
Bicycling
Kayaking
Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates
Stationary aerobics such as sit ups

What I don't reccomend:
Zumba
Running
Walking long distances on a declining surface.
Row machines
Heavy weights
Squats
Yoga moves that force you to bend your knee to far
Skiing
Snowboarding
Water skiing
Step classes
Anything that provides any risk of injury (wear lots of padding).

Questionable:
Eliptical trainers (they should be safe but one time after using one my knee blew up like a balloon.)
Walking (distances up to a mile should be ok, anything farther could cause excessive strain depending on how much PVNS you have built up.)
Golfing (using a golf cart of course, but I haven't tried it for a while and the movement of the knees could cause issues).
Dancing (some dancing should be fine but swing dancing or anything where you are moving your knees is no good.

How fast does PVNS return?

The common response I've heard to the question of "how fast will PVNS return?" is that it grows faster the more you mess with it.  So injuries and surgeries seem to instigate rapid growth.  My first tumor took about 10 years to grow to the point where I could no longer bend my leg before I had my first surgery which was over a year and a half ago.  My recent MRI last month showed that there was a "lesion" that was "slightly larger than the previous exam" (pre-op).  I'm assuming that means the surgeon left some PVNS in my knee whether he knew it or not at the time.  During my follow up visit we discussed the "leave it be and see" option.  I'm reluctant to have the same surgeon perform my next surgery since he did not remove all of the PVNS the first time.  I knew something was up when he told me there would be a time limit on my surgery.  And the recovery seemed to take longer as well as noticable things like shooting pains and my knee still feeling tight when I went hiking or going down stairs.  But now that it's confirmed I feel like I'm losing my mobility much sooner and don't think I will make it another decade before I have my next surgery.  Not to mention the longer I leave it there the more potential damage it can do.  It can literally eat my knee if left alone for too long.  Another PVNS sufferer in the same state I live in says he just has an annual keyhole arthroscopy to keep him mobile.  The thought of having ongoing surgery is not palatable.  Also, the more surgery, the more damage and risk for having a full on knee replacement would be in my future.  Being 41, I need to consider how much surgery I should be taking on.  Since my next impending surgery will only be my second I will just need to continue to wait and let it do it's thing.  The Thanksgiving holiday threw me off my diet and I'm trying hard to stick to it since that is the only thing I can manage and control since I can't wave any magic wands and make it go away.  I know that everyone with PVNS has a different story.  I didn't have an injury, it doesn't feel hot to the touch, and I don't usually have pain or swelling.  So I'm still waiting until I can't walk anymore before my next surgery.  Could be next year, could be later.  That's the problem, there is no good answer to the question.  Everyone's different.  I can only hope that mine doesn't grow so fast that I will need surgery sooner than later.