Arthritis

just had the results of a ct scan on my leg back and it turns out that 2 years on my tibia has not actually healed properly. good news is that is looks like it might on it's own.

however.... it also showed that i have arthritis in my ankle already, and will need surgery in the next 10 years. i am only 30. not good. anyway,, anyone got any tips on how to manage it? is there anything you can do?

Physio! The upside is that I can predict bad weather quite easily now.

Do you have anything odd going on with the movement/function of your foot that will be responsible for this arthiritis? I.E a poor gait or feet at funny angles?

Improving these issues would help.

You could try some supplements and exercises. But some may argue that they are just a placebo.
My dad has very bad arthiritis in his knees. His knees werre regularly very stiff, swollen and painful.

He was prescribed strong anti inflamatories like TIAPROFENIC ACID, and PIROXICAM gel. He gained very little benefit fom popping a lot of pills, he had a lot of pain and visible swelling.

He had steroid injections, which provided temporary relief.

In the end he got fed up of the pills and stopped taking them. A while later we started him on some Glucosamine which many people would say is a silly questionable supplement. But the swelling in his knees and pain dramtically reduced. He got a similar effect out of glucosamine as he did with steroid injections. Whenever he has run out of glucosamine and doesnt take it for a week or so. His knees swell up again visibly and he starts to complain of significant pain.

So I know, for some people at least. Glucosamine really has a value.

Fish oil is widely accepted as an excellent anti-inflammatory.

Calcium & Vitamin C also work together to make Collagen, a major major substance which makes up the cartilage and connective tissues in your body. Some sources claim large doses can help the hardworking athlete or arthiritis sufferer to maintain intergrity of their joints.

thank you. the arthritis stems from an accident 2 years ago where i broke my tib and fib and the ankle capsule exploded. since then i have had very limited movement. they said i would get arthritis, but i thought i'd have a few years grace!!!!!!

Hmm I have arthritis in my right knee... might have to try that Glucosamine

me too. Just started on Glucosmine. No noticable benefit yet.

Been on a load of Methotrexate for a while now. Not too chuffed with it thus far but I'll persevere for the benefit of the doubt. No real side effects but questionable benefits too. Plus scary how many side effects there are despite them not effecting me (not allowed to get anyone pregnant whilst on them as they'll most likely be born with defeormities).
Spoke with a couple of Physios but neither seem to know what to do with me yet (its in both my wrists). Seeing my specialist Oct 5th so not doing anything till then.

Sucks doesn't it?

Sorry to hear that, that's shit news...
I like this website... Interesting stuff... I've stopped taking Glucosamine, tried Devil's Claw but didn't really feel any benefit... Lower back arthritis, always hurts even on NSAIDs and co-codamol... Meh...

I actually have some joint problems and worn out cartilage of my own, so I have tried taking glucosamine. Good quality stuff for long periods of time, and noticed no positive effects.

But indeed it worked on my dad. Perhaps it only works on proper severe arthiritis in old people. Or where there is a deficit in diet? I have actually been meaning to look this up.

For my own dodgy joints, stretching and strengthening exercises are the most helpful.

I ran out of Naproxen last week, my back has been really bad since the weather's changed and my script wasn't gonna be ready 'til this week so I bought some more Devil's Claw to see if it'd help in the meantime... And it really has, it's made a massive difference... I recommend you give it a go if you're suffering...
Strange that it didn't seem to help when I was taking it alongside Naproxen...

I've pared my daily exercises down a bit, got rid of one or two Twister-like stretches and my back's responded really well... There were a few days last week where I was in no pain at all... Amazing...
I've also lost a few pounds in the last coupla months, maybe that's helped... My core feels rock solid at the moment, even after a few games of polo...
Promising stuff...

Getting old. Had some pain in the hands for a while, and have booked a doctors appointment. I'm ok with my mountain bike, even off-road, but Shimano road shifters seem to exacerbate the condition. Uncomfortable bloody things.

Yup. I’ve had a pain in my right middle finger 2nd knuckle for a bit now, but since I broke my hand and have been given exercises to help after the surgery it’s really exacerbated the pain, and it’s quite swollen with fluid. I saw the surgeon last week and he said I’m afraid that’s probably arthritis. Seeing my hand physio on Monday and will ask his advice, but my surgeon says he’ll keep my case open so he can have a look at my finger once my hand has healed fully.
I’m 57 in October and have worked as a mechanic/engineer all my life so my hands have taken a lot of stress, but this still isn’t great news.

Is there anyone with or with experience of rheumatoid arthritis around here?

My mum suffers with ra, is there anything in particular you'd like to know about, treatments/medications etc?
I know she has had pretty much all the major drugs, they work for a time, then I guess the body gets used to them, and the benefits wear off, so different prescription is given, and on and on. At one point she asked her doctor, aside from the pain, what downsides she would have giving up the meds totally, lucky for me, I'm like her in that regard, pain we can deal with, side effects from meds not so much.
If you want to know something specific, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind me asking and letting you know of her experiences.

Thanks. Nothing specific yet, someone I know has had a diagnosis and is currently pretty in the dark about what it means for their life going forward and is kinda scared really. I think we just need to be patient and wait until results are formally back and appts are had. So frustrating sitting on our hands until then

Yeah, took a while for mum's doctor to get her on summat that worked, she still cracked on with her day to day, though she hides her pain quite well. She's had physio and does some light exercises and walks the dog a lot, I think more than anything her positive, it's not stopping me attitude sees her through.
Keep positive would be my mum's advice.
Give me a shout if you'd like to know anything.

Thank you, I will do

Doctor has diagnosed me (pending an MRI in the new year) with arthritis in my left knee. I had an injury as a teenager and the doctor told me I'd almost certainly get it earlier than I would have otherwise.

Other than keeping active and discussing the medical options, is there anything I can do to help mitigate it/live with it? Had the wind knocked out of my sails a bit so trying to focus on doing something than the possibility that the end of "doing something" years might be looming into sight.

Cold water exposure may help

Gentle exercise helps mine, spinning lighter gears etc. I also do yoga each morning.

I have had three arthroscopies (two in right knee, one in left) surgeons have described my cartilage as being like a soft wet sponge and there is already joint degradation. Long term I am likely to need artificial knees.

That sounds a pretty bad deal... hope it's not too painful.

Stuff definitely feels "not good" in my knee. It's like someone dumped some pebbles in there as I can feel grinding and movement in the joint. Not really painful at the moment but quite stressed about how fast it went from "occasional twinge" to "prescription painkillers for the bad days". I guess it is what it is.

@dancing james

I also do yoga each morning.

Any tips on getting started with yoga? I have been meaning to start for a while in an attempt to help my back. Did you join a local group, any books or videos you can recommend?

This is pretty accessible, though I found it was easier to maintain the habit when going to the classes near work. But wfh atm

https://youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene

Thanks I'll take a look

I have had the same diagnosis but he won’t send me for an MRI. Mine came to the fore when I started playing cricket again.

I’m likely behind you as I don’t have the bag of pebbles feeling. It manifests itself as a constant ache for a couple of days at a time and a physio says there’s a chronic lack of stability in my knee, hence the two twist injuries I suffered last year.

I’m fine cycling. I wear a support for running and cricket and when I go hiking on anything other than well maintained trails.

I’ve managed mine with ibuprofen tablets and gel so far but I know it’ll fall apart one day. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.