First, use it or lose it. Don't stop playing unless your doc thinks it will help you heal in the long run.

Second, I've had great luck treating osteoarthritis with fairly high doses (3g a day) of vitamin C in a non-acidic form called Ester-C. Regular C works the same way, but it upsets my stomach. It does interfere with some kinds of medication (like blood thinners and birth control pills), so a web search of drug interactions is called for. It improves mobility by encouraging healthy cartilage formation. I happily haven't had a twinge of pain from it in over 7 years now.

Good luck. I wonder if there are exercise balls and such that could help?