# Osteoarthritis anyone ?



## gbb (26 Oct 2017)

Always had a back problem since i was 16, now 59 and ive had achiness in my upper hips, knees and ankles for a good few months now, moderately low level but constant, non stop pain, extreme stiffness in the morning, eases through the day then comes back making my hips and legs ache summat chronic.
TBH it's making getting on the bike a bit daunting, all I want to do is sit down when I get home.
Docs today....osteoarthritis. 
Basic exercises, keep up the cycling she suggested and increase my use of painkillers (I only use them reluctantly despite the continuous pain)

Anything anyone found good or bad managing what is a very common ailment apparently as you get older ?


----------



## pawl (26 Oct 2017)

I use Voltarol 12 hour gel.If I am going cycling I may also take a Cuprofen tablet.


----------



## vickster (26 Oct 2017)

Yep left knee has been getting tattier since injuring it 8 years ago. I keep it calm with injections every couple of years (partly funded by private insurance and me, ok all me as I pay for the private HC)

Wear and tear in right knee

Recently diagnosed with arthritis in one of the midfoot joints

Find a good physio who can provide you the right exercises, you'll likely need to pay for it.

you might find swimming provides a good low impact exercises as well as cycling. Walking also important as load bearing

I find a hot bath helps with general stiffness and achiness. Ice for more acute pain in individual joints

I'm 45 so not exactly elderly, looks like I might actually have inflammatory arthritis according to rheumatologist  
Taking lots of medication to see which works best


----------



## raleighnut (26 Oct 2017)

Can I mention marijuana, great strides in improving the 'quality of life' of sufferers of chronic pain are being reported from studies in the USA.


----------



## gbb (27 Oct 2017)

raleighnut said:


> Can I mention marijuana, great strides in improving the 'quality of life' of sufferers of chronic pain are being reported from studies in the USA.


Oh dear......im afraid I'm quite critical and not very understanding of dope users...and yes of course, its not my business and it doesn't matter what I think but I'm always kind of  when I smell it. I'd have a heck of a job just trying it.
I should say it's the younger users for the most part I don't understand, why they seem to use it as a crutch, why dont they just get out and enjoy life itself....and the wasted money 

TBF the suggestion isn't surprising, I know it's promoted as pain relief by some, and probably quite legitimately...i just don't think I could.


----------



## Gary E (27 Oct 2017)

*Osteoarthritis anyone ?*

No thanks, already got it! 

Oddly, the more I exercise the better it is. Should probably stress here that this only works with low impact stuff like cycling (definitely not running!).

I use a turbo trainer 5-6 days a week for an hour or so each time and, as long as I keep this up, I hardly notice the Osteoarthritis. I recently took a break from cycling for about 3 weeks (marriage and honeymoon) and the aching returned, more and more each day to the point where I could barely walk in the mornings


----------



## simon.r (27 Oct 2017)

I have severe osteoarthritis in my left knee as a result of a motorbike accident in 1983. 

Cycling is definitely the best way to keep it relatively pain free, IME. If I have more than a week or so off the bike my knee becomes significantly more painful than normal. Having said that, long rides (3 or 4 hours +) make my knee more painful for a day or two. By trial and error I’ve determined that the best pain control (for me) is to cycle little and often. Unfortunately this conflicts with other cycling aims, so in real life it’s a balance between shorter and longer rides. 

I also take glucosamine, which I think helps a bit.


----------



## simon.r (27 Oct 2017)

Gary E said:


> *Osteoarthritis anyone ?*
> 
> No thanks, already got it!
> 
> ...



I was typing my reply when you posted this - very similar to my experience.


----------



## Gary E (27 Oct 2017)

simon.r said:


> I also take glucosamine, which I think helps a bit.



Yep, I also take this (on the recommendation of my doctor). I'm not convinced it's doing a lot but every little helps


----------



## Duffy (27 Oct 2017)

https://www.arthritisresearchuk.org...y-medicines-for-osteoarthritis/capsaicin.aspx



Works for me


----------



## vickster (27 Oct 2017)

Omega 3 and Vit D for me plus all the prescription stuff


----------



## Gary E (27 Oct 2017)

vickster said:


> Omega 3 and Vit D for me plus all the prescription stuff


Blimey, do you rattle when you walk?


----------



## vickster (27 Oct 2017)

Gary E said:


> Blimey, do you rattle when you walk?


Certainly crack and click


----------



## buzzy-beans (27 Oct 2017)

One shoulder, two hips, a brace/cage fitted to my neck and fingers that never like bending and are very painful when I do as are also some of my toes, yep at the tender age of 68 I have both osteo and rheumatoid versions of this 'p.i.t.a.' affliction!

For me, I try not to take too many pain killers as they have a nasty effect on my gut which results in me having to take medicine for that as well, so over the years, for me I have found this works best of all.

1. Keep the joints as warm as possible and constantly manipulate and massage them.
2. I take double to treble the amount of the daily dose of extra virgin cod liver oil, that is 2 to 3 1000mg high strength capsules per day taken at 8 hourly intervals.
3. If the pain is really bad, then I massage in Spiroflor SRL gel into the joint areas it is brilliant and by a long margin the best I have ever come across........... 
I get mine from a friend in Holland but you can get it from here https://www.dokteronline.com/en/spiroflor-vsm
4. Eat positive loads of garlic as well as fatty fish.

But the best thing to do is to exercise as often as possible and most importantly of all, as warmly dressed around the affected joint areas as you can. Oh and the best thing of all is to keep the weight down so that your joints don't have a hard time.

Good luck


----------



## Threevok (27 Oct 2017)

Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 9
Diagnosed with Osteoporosis too, a few years ago

It's in the spine now, so I get out as much as I can - while I still can

Exercise does help - as does all the traditional stuff to some extent (a spoonful of Apple Cider Vinegar is particularly good)

I find taking Creatine helps enormously with the joints, as the water retention it causes, tends to lubricate them more, although it stops working after a while and you have to leave it off for 8 weeks.

Anti-inflammatory gel (and or tables when prescribed) are a last resort for me


----------



## ColinJ (27 Oct 2017)

gbb said:


> Oh dear......im afraid I'm quite critical and not very understanding of dope users...and yes of course, its not my business and it doesn't matter what I think but I'm always kind of  when I smell it. I'd have a heck of a job just trying it.


Take a look at CBD (hemp oil)? It has virtually no psychoactive compounds in it. One of my friends has MS and for years could barely walk even with crutches but I saw him a couple of weeks ago and he had left his crutches at home. I asked what had produced the huge improvement and he replied that he had switched to a very healthy diet and started taking CBD. Not scientific proof, but way more improvement than his doctors had managed to achieve with different cocktails of drugs.


----------

