I am in SO much pain. Surely this can't just be because I am fat?

[herewegoroundthebastardbush]

This is really a question either for the medical or for my fellow fatties - I'm 5'6, about 14 stone (😬) and 39. I used to be around 10 stone. put on a lot of weight very rapidly about 5 years ago when my mum died, and ever since then have struggled with binge eating and the weight has continued to creep up.

So the past 6 months or so, I'm in horrible physical pain much of the time. It started with my knees, which have never been great since I went through a phase of running to work on concrete in my 20s (idiot). But now it's not just the odd twinge, I'll be literally limping and whimpering and climbing the stairs is murder. I've also developed a horrible permanent pain in my right foot which the internet tells me is plantar fasciitis. And I can't ever seem to get comfortable in bed as whichever way I lie seems to pull the base of my spine out of alignment and it feels strained.

I have a busy life, two small kids and one is at nursery and the other at school, so every day after work I have to do a very brisk march march up the road to nursery and then turn and walk very fast back to school to get the eldest (about 40mins fast walking - or jogging if im late!) all told. I've started to dread it with a mortal fear as I am in SO much pain - some days I'm literally limping and gasping with it, but I can't stop because obvs then no-one would pick up my kids (partner has the car as works in a different city). That's the low point of my day, but just getting out of bed and standing up in the morning is horrendous too, it hurts so much and I literally limp like a comedy pirate for the first 20 mins of the day my foots so bad.

The one time I went to the GP about my knees, she did the head tilt and talked to me about my weight (didn't even examine my knees), and that aches and pains are more frequent as we age so its important to take care of our weight to reduce that. I agree I am too fat and need to lose weight. I am trying. But I see people far fatter and older than me who don't seem to be in total agony as they walk around!? So is this normal and fixable by losing some weight? Or is there something I should be worried about?

You can get asics from sports direct so fairly cheap. I had a plantar fascitis scare. Threw out all my flat shoes and got winter boots from Clarks outlet online, real leather and only £35.

Go back to your doctor. Your weight sounds like it isn't the cause and you can't continue like this. Write down your points first to help you advocate for yourself.

The only lifestyle change that worked for me was biologic medication for the multiple autoimmune and physio/supports for the multiple connective tissue diseases.

Some twats still think everything would be fixed if I were seven stone. Nope. Not when they started when I was about two stone and still believed in Father Christmas, they won't.

Many many years ago, dh went to the doc with pains in his knees. Dr referred him to a physio (presumably because he was otherwise fit, healthy, not overweight and above all a man). Physio looked at him and told him he actually needed a podiatrist, because the knee pain was actually caused by his feet. Custom orthotics and the pain went away. Comes back if he forgets to wear them, or if he's standing around and not moving.

With you saying about PF @herewegoroundthebastardbush I wonder if you may have the same issue. He was told to avoid footwear like Converse too. Might be worth asking for a podiatry referral?

You must go back. This isn’t normal at all - regardless of weight. If autoimmunity runs in your family it could well be that. You will have to push for blood tests but please please do.

I hate how GPs pigeon hole us. Your GP has made an assumption about you and has not listened. Try going back and asking for a physio referral because of the pain you are in when you exercise "because you are trying to lose weight". No need to tell GP that it is part of the daily grind.

Waiting list will be hideous tho. In between agree that you need some trainers with arch support and look on YouTube for some physio stretches for your glutes.

Good luck!

Whilst being overweight won’t be helping,
it sounds as if there’s more going on than just that. 39 isn’t particularly old either, so this level of pain does seem unusual.

I think you need to go back to your GP. I would also start working on losing some weight. An extra 4 stone won’t be doing you any favours and the sooner you get it sorted to better. I’ve been there, so I totally get how tricky it is with young children, but you need to put yourself first a bit or you’ll only feel worse in the long term.

I was struggling with pain in my knees and pain in my feet, I got rid of all my boots and only wear sports trainers now. It did actually make a difference. I also started to cycle some of the journeys I had previously had to walk which was less pressure on the knees - could you get a bike with a carrier on the back to collect the kids in so you weren’t doing a rushed walk every day?

IMHO it's not caused by your weight.

I'm twice your weight and have been for more than 20 years, and I'm twice your age, and I do not have any pain whatsoever in my knees. Some years ago I developed plantar fascitis, and it was agony. I do not understand how or why, by it went away all by itself, even though I had not lost any weight. You need to somehow Force your doctor to take you seriously and stop putting everything down to weight and blaming you for what is a medical problem that you cannot help.

Go back to the gp, I'm going through the same and also overweight. I recently changed doctors, as we moved, and they've sent me for an xray and mri scan as my knees are so bad. I used to walk for miles with the dog, but I can barely do 1 mile these days. Good shopping is the worst as it's dawdling and twisting a lot. In your shoes I'd ask to see a different doctor and try to force the issue. Unfortunately they do tend to blame everything on weight.

Look up to see if you can self refer to physio, just google your city name and 'self refer physio'. In my NHS trust you can without needing to contact the GP at all.

I have a painful knee and it's not my knee that's the problem, it's actually the thigh, for me specifically there's a band that runs up the outside of the thigh called the iliotibial band and mine is very tight and inflexible which means it gets inflamed and I end up with tendinitis if I don't make sure I keep up my stretches. If I do the exercises I'm good, if I don't then within a few days it tightens and starts hurting again.

Go back to the GP. Explain that you’re concerned about the level of pain you’re in and that you’re sure she recognises that it’s important to be sure a significant diagnosis isn’t missed given the impact it’s having on your function. Ask her to explain what makes her confident this is due to your weight, and to explain what reassures her that it is not an autoimmune process. Ask to be talked through the process of elimination that leads to weight being the issue.

It’s absolutely true that obesity is terrible for your joints. But it’s essential that another diagnosis isn’t missed.

In the interim, a physio may be able to help you manage better. Physiotherapy is evidence-based.

I'm 5"7 and 14 stone.

So although also quite overweight it's not huge and certainly not obese standards I wouldn't have thought - not enough for be the cause of the problems despite the obvious fact it won't help.

And I walk 6k at speed 4 times a week and often do 8-10k steps a day in my job (on top!) and don't suffer these problems so I would think if that weight caused the damage it would be the same for me and everyone with the same bmi!

Can you get an opinion from a different gp in the practice?

This

Get your Vitamin D levels checked. My knees were really painful and my GP said most people have a deficiency. A few weeks of a supplement and the pain was gone.

Another vote here for rheumatoid arthritis, I have it, and the biggest symptom I had before getting diagnosed was the pain and stiffness when I got out of bed in the morning.

There are plenty of treatments out there to control it, DMARDs like methotrexate and sulfasalazine, biologics, steroids etc.

I think it’s sheer laziness when doctors refuse to investigate issues and just put it down to weight. I would ask to see a different GP, explain that you are aware of the need to lose weight but want to make sure there is nothing else going on.

I have had plantar fasciitis and currently have a painful knee. I have seen a podiatrist in the past and a physio recently and they both took me seriously and came up with Stretches and strength exercises and advice about footwear to help. The footwear advice is to not ever go around even the house in bare feet, crocs or Wellington boots, but to wear ideally stability trainers or other supportive shoes with orthotics. The exercises should be tailored to what is causing your actual problem. Hopefully you can self refer to an NHS physio in your area but if the wait is too long or your GP is gatekeeping too hard, even one appointment with a private physio to diagnose your problem would probably be massively helpful.

Madeinmanc, I've found osteopaths to be hugely beneficial in the past, you can't just write them all off

I had terrible similar pain when I was slim
Turns out I have flat feet. These saved me.i wear them all the time and never go bare foot even in the house.

I'm a bit taller and a bit heavier than you. My problems started when I was peri menopausal- you're still young but not unheard of

@herewegoroundthebastardbush

I used to be 8.5st, and now I'm 9. Doesn't sound much of an increase eh? But actually that's a large percentage increase. Any my knees and shins are killing me.

And it's entirely my fault, sitting on my arse too much and eating sweet stuff.

The reason my knees hurt and I've put my back out twice for the first time in my life is because I have reduced my activity levels and become lazy and this has lead to weight gain, which puts pressure on my joints, which have started to (I know it sounds dramatic but) seize up through reduced movement.

You need to get moving. Slowly at first. But it's a slippery slope if you don't.

I don’t know about the rest but PF is agony to walk. Also gave me cramps at night.

1. Foot exercises - lots on the internet- do them as often as you can
2. Proper support insoles in every pair of shoes you own, never walk barefoot. Even my slippers are orthopaedic. I’ve found Toffeln insoles are best, the ones from Boots etc aren’t usually firm enough for me. Use 3/4 orthotic insoles for trainers where there’s not room for a full insole. Have a look on Amazon.
3. Speak to GP again about pain relief, ibuprofen is also anti-inflammatory so helps in that way, but if you’re taking it regularly you may need ozmerepole(?) to protect your stomach.

I don’t know about knees, but when my PF was bad, it meant I walked unevenly which did put strain on my knees too.

Good luck - chronic pain is really debilitating. Painkillers are there for a reason!

I am similar to you OP, overweight with knee pain and PF so I sympathise. I am trying to lose weight but it's difficult because every time I start trying to exercise or even walk more, the pain flares up and I have to dial it back again.

I went to the GP and explained this (especially the part about trying to lose weight and be more active) and they have referred me on for physio. I'm expecting this may take a while so the GP gave me a sheet of exercises to do in the meantime. It's just three different stretches to do three times a day. I also bought some supportive insoles from Amazon (I got a pack of three so they can go in different shoes), a spiky foot roller thing that I can use when I'm at my desk or watching TV and started taking a glucosamine supplement. It has all really helped.

I am a similar size and I am sure weight plays a part in it but it is hard to lose weight and all the more so when in pain. The trouble is, once these pains kick off our instinct is to adapt how we walk and then cause more damage in doing so.

My advice would be to go back to the doctor and ask to be referred to a physio, the doctor will hopefully be receptive to this. In the mean time there are exercises online that might help, such as https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints/exercises/exercises-for-knee-problems/ and https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints/exercises/exercises-for-foot-problems/

I had awful pain in my feet that a podiatrist diagnosed as Morton’s neuroma. I got insoles made to measure to disperse the pressure. The difference was incredible.

It could be due to sugar causing inflammation in your body. That's not quackery - it's actually a thing. Look it up.
You can improve so many of these ailments by cleaning up your diet.

PF unfortunately is aggravated by weight so I suspect there's going to be not a lot that you can do until you lose a bit of weight. You can do stretches etc but my bf is the same, it reappears whenever he puts on weight and it's absolute agony he can't walk in the mornings. I also suspect the back pain is related to the PF, if you are in a lot of pain on one foot then this will mean you walk and stand awkwardly which then may put pressure on your back along with knee pain which is probably also affecting your walk and especially run/jog.
There are stretches you can do to alleviate PF, usually calf type ones but sorry to say my bf found nothing worked other than weight loss