Can you have 'flare ups' with osteoarthritis?

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

I've got severe arthritis on my left kneecap (rest of the joint is fine) and moderate arthritis in my left thumb joint, right big toe and at the base of the other toes on that foot and Achilles tendinopathy in my right heel. Most of the time it's not too bad, but for the last few days all my affected joints are really sore. I know you can get flare ups with rheumatoid arthritis - is it similar with OA? And what's the best way of dealing with it ?

[DandelionAndBedrock]

Mine used to get worse when the weather changed (shift in pressure maybe?). Only thing I found to help was a hot water bottle on the area, gritting my teeth and muddling through. Hopefully a more scientific solution though .

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Thanks dandelion - at the moment I'm gritting my teeth! I notice you say 'used' - does it not trouble you any more?

[DandelionAndBedrock]

I had the joint replaced .

[AuldHeathen]

I also have OA. I find it varies a lot in painfulness regardless of what l do, whether I lose or gain weight, etc. I take a lot of medication for several other conditions and suspect that makes a difference. Just now I'm going through a reduced pain phase.

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Ahh ... joint replacement not an option for me! It's not so painful this morning but I have woken up with a stinking cold so maybe that's connected ...

[BestIsWest]

I have OA in my knee but it definitely
gets worse when I am under the weather.

[Chewbecca]

Definitely an up and down thing.

The weather is an unavoidable thing, it is definitely worse when rain is about to come or it is damp generally.

I take voltarol/diclofenac when I'm struggling but avoid taking too often as I'm concerned about long term effects.

Why is joint replacement not an option for you. It is the only 'cure' IMO, though you should postpone if possible but there comes a point where it is inevitably the right choice.

[Dozer]

Yes, weather, activity, foods eaten (eg peppers) and being poorly seems to have effects.

[MrsJayy]

My hip really hurts today its really humid and damp and it usually flares up on damp days

[dragongirlx]

I have OA in both knees and one shoulder and it always flares up when its damp and sometimes for no reason at all. Heat can help. I also try to keep moving cause it gets a lot worse if I don't move around

[AuldHeathen]

Weirdly, weather seems to have no effect on my OA. Currently we have heavy rain, have had for several days. My joints are okay really. Early in the year they were much worse, even in some spring sunshine.

[whoputthecatout]

I have OA - knees, hands, wrists, elbows. Some days really bad, some moderate, some hardly any pain. So I kept a chart looking for reasons why the variation e.g. cold, damp, barometric pressure, activity etc. And I couldn't find a single trigger - it was all utterly random. So that was a waste of time .

However, the new tin knee I had two years ago is spectacularly good. When everything else is rubbish my new knee is ace