# Osteoarthritis



## MrGrumpy (7 Jul 2020)

So as suspected my X ray has come back a mild arthritis in the knee. Anyone else managing fine with it. Might need to look at my diet, lose some timber and take some stress of my knee. Any other advice.


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## Mo1959 (7 Jul 2020)

Sadly, I think that’s probably all you can do. Keep moving, eat healthy and keep the weight down. All the research into fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, etc seems to say none of it has any effect, although you always get people that say it works for them.


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## vickster (7 Jul 2020)

MrGrumpy said:


> So as suspected my X ray has come back a mild arthritis in the knee. Anyone else managing fine with it. Might need to look at my diet, lose some timber and take some stress of my knee. Any other advice.


I have tricompartmental arthritis in my left knee (grade 3-4 patches on all bone surfaces and pretty tatty meniscus  )
I take vitamin D, Omega 3 (1000mg proper fish derived) daily on specialist advice. For walking I sometimes use a custom unloader brace
I cycle a lot, use pain meds (I see a rheumatologist as I have issues with inflammation and wear elsewhere and take hydroxychloroquine). I drink ample milk for calcium too 

I get a lot of aching at night and after sitting for long periods.

I switched to an automatic car after first injuring the knee in 2009 which has lead to this shoot storm

I’ll need a full replacement in the next 10 years so before I’m 60. Joy


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## MrGrumpy (7 Jul 2020)

Symptoms have worsened the last 8 months I would say. Comes and goes though, recently though the pain has been waking me up at night. Cycling doesnt seem to make it worse but I do wonder if I should be resting it completely ( impossible ) Meniscus was cut away 16yrs ago in that knee which is probably why I have this now  .

Anyway its mild so I`ll just have to get on with it and wait till it worsens . Meanwhile I will see how about shifting some weight, build more a track sprinter than an alp killing mountain goat


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## vickster (7 Jul 2020)

If you get pain and/or swelling, use ice and locally apply the 2.32% voltaren gel is really good (assuming you don;t have issues with anti-inflammatories). Yep the menisectomy is almost certainly the cause (I watched a very interesting webinar about meniscus and OA, no shock absorber between bones leads to OA sooner rather than later)

My weight isn't great, but have lost nearly 20lbs this year 

No don't rest an arthritic knee, keep it moving and well lubricated with synovial fluid. I had success with hyaluronic acid injections (private only) when it was more confined to one area, so may be worth discussing with a knee specialist if you have insurance / cash


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## ColinJ (7 Jul 2020)

Mo1959 said:


> All the research into fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, etc seems to say none of it has any effect, although *you always get people that say it works for them.*


Let me volunteer here...! 

I started taking cod liver oil and glucosamine sulphate about 30 years ago and have done ever since. 

At the time, it looked like I was following in my dad's painful, walking stick-supported footsteps. His arthritic hips were aching in his 40s, agonising in his 50s, and had crippled him by the time he was 60. He could barely walk from the age of 60 until his death at 83. 

So, when my hips started hurting in my early 30s I was _VERY _concerned. At the time there were suggestions that cod liver oil and glucosamine sulphate might help reduce the progression of osteoarthritis, or maybe even reverse the process. I thought I'd give them a go. 

At that time I was slim (1.86 m/6' 1" tall, about 70 kg/11 stone) so my pain was not caused by obesity. After a year or two of taking the supplements I had actually forgotten all about the pain because it had receded to the point where it no longer bothered me. The damage was still there in the background - just running for a bus would trigger it again - but it was not getting worse. I could walk and cycle pain-free.

As the years went by I piled on weight (I got up to about 115 kg/ 18+ stone), but... my hips were _still _not hurting! My knees _did _start to complain, but they turned out to be fine once I lost the surplus weight.

The scientific opinion definitely _does_ seem to have backtracked from the more optimistic position of the 1980s, but I am going to carry on with my '_insurance policy_'. I can't prove that the supplements work, other than by stopping for a few years, developing OA, and then trying to alleviate it by starting the supplements again; I'm not willing to do that!


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## gbb (7 Jul 2020)

I take glucosamine and cod liver oil in capsules. My OA has got progressively and quickly worse in the 3 years I've had it so some might argue the supplements dont work...but equally the OA might have been even worse had I not taken them.. who knows ?..I take them anyway.
Just started the IMove supplements (green slipped mussels, hyaluronic acid, vitamins, etc etc) and see if they make any improvement.

My pain is regular and modestly severe but I seem to manage with an odd paracetamol or ibrufen, moving onto prescription grade cocodamol when I get flare ups (which really are quite debilitating)


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## DCBassman (8 Jul 2020)

OA is not nice...
I have it everywhere, basically. 
All the joints around my shoulders have had surgical attention, which has worked well. 
Spine too, getting bad now, no more surgery to be done.
Knees...despite being too heavy by 30lb, they rarely give me any trouble. Fingers crossed.

Hands. Really bad news, this will kill my bass playing and maybe cycling too, eventually. 

Have tried all the supplements to no avail, although lots of fish oil does seem to help my health generally. 
Weight off and good diet a must, and I must!


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## MrGrumpy (8 Jul 2020)

Cheers folks, rest of my body is fine . Not vastly over weight and very fit but could do with dropping at least a stone. Knees fine today, just have to learn to live with it. My biggest fear was possibly having to give cycling a swerve.


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## furball (8 Jul 2020)

When it gets to the point it's causing serious disturbance to your sleep it's worth taking pain relief before bedtime. Some of the prescribed anti inflammatory/ pain relief medication have side effects when taken at maximum dose. I found using it selectively seemed to be effective for me.


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## gbb (8 Jul 2020)

furball said:


> When it gets to the point it's causing serious disturbance to your sleep it's worth taking pain relief before bedtime. Some of the prescribed anti inflammatory/ pain relief medication have side effects when taken at maximum dose. I found using it selectively seemed to be effective for me.


Agree 100 %. By default now, I always take a paracetamol or ibrufen last thing, just helps towards a better sleep. I do notice now I sleep very poorly anyway compared to pre OA times.


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## NorthernSky (9 Jul 2020)

vickster said:


> I switched to an automatic car after first injuring the knee in 2009 which has lead to this shoot storm


i never 'got' automatic cars for years, until i drove an auto rental on holiday for a week. what a joy, so much more peaceful driving experience
i'd definitely consider one if it was for health reasons
i know they can be a bit more expensive in the UK?? as we haven't taken to them like other countries
this was a hybrid electric too. the fuel gauge didn't start to go down until about day 3, i was getting worried the gauge was broken


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## vickster (9 Jul 2020)

NorthernSky said:


> i never 'got' automatic cars for years, until i drove an auto rental on holiday for a week. what a joy, so much more peaceful driving experience
> i'd definitely consider one if it was for health reasons
> i know they can be a bit more expensive in the UK?? as we haven't taken to them like other countries
> this was a hybrid electric too. the fuel gauge didn't start to go down until about day 3, i was getting worried the gauge was broken


I don't think I paid more versus a manual as for my model of car most are DSG anyhow. With 180bhp and a supercharger and turbo, it goes plenty quick enough. If I was ever so inclined to change gear, it has flappy paddles.

It's a far better and quicker drive than my last manual car which was a Mini Cooper S Works  (and no less economical to run)


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## DCBassman (9 Jul 2020)

My auto is an old-school slush box attached to almost equally old-school 2nd generation DI turbo-diesel. By DSG standards, it's probably slightly inefficient, but as the car is 3.2l and 2.2 tonnes, I doubt it matters much...
Still gets over 50mpg on a longish run, and the use of cruise control makes it all even easier.
In fact, when I first had a bad back, it was changing gear and pushing the throttle pedal that caused me pain, so I retrofitted a cruise control system to my MKIII Escort estate. I'd be not at all surprised if that was a unique car in that sense!


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## Drago (9 Jul 2020)

Yep, osteoarthritis in my right foot, at the bass of the big toe and by the ball. It was getting uncomfortable enough that I had to quit running in late 2018, and while it aches it isn't a killer and doesn't stop me walking or owt.


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## MrGrumpy (9 Jul 2020)

That will be the next bit to go, another bone broken through football .


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