Being told to strengthen my core

[NoOneKnowsWhoYouAre]

I have osteoarthritis of my spine. Basically I have no discs left and my spine is rubbing bone on bone and onto my nerves. I am in agony all the time. I'm taking pain relief and it just sedates me, it doesn't seem to help with the pain. They will do denercation of the area once every 2 years. 2 fucking years and it only helps for about 3 months max before the nerves regrow and I'm in agony again.

I've been under the MSK service and pain clinic for years. I already have a very strong core, but they are out of solutions. They just keep saying to strengthen my already very fucking strong thank you core.

You don't hear them saying to people who need hip replacements due to the same condition "oh just do some more exercise", they recognise what a debilitating condition it is and they replace the hip, or the knee, or the shoulder.

I know it's very complicated to work around the spinal cord but suremt it is unacceptable in today's works that the only thing available to people like me is to strengthen the core, and shut the fuck up, or go on very strong painkillers that don't help but make you like a zombie.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just so sick of the pain and absolute lack of research and experimentation in this area.

You don't hear them saying to people who need hip replacements due to the same condition "oh just do some more exercise",

Oh believe me, they really, really do say that. I had a coffee with two friends similarly ground down by osteoarthritis joint pain. All three of us have been told the same thing repeatedly.

In our district, until we’re over the age they’ve decided to deem old enough to merit knee replacements, “you could come in here crawling on your hands and I’d still tell you that you have to wait,” as one of the MSK team told my friend. “Here is a handout with exercises to do.”

It’s horrible. It make me want to scream in frustration. Some days I can barely stand living.

So rant away, OP. I empathise and it’s shite.

@BeaAndBen thank you for getting what I mean, it is so frustrating. I suppose my comparison to hips is that at least there is a little light at the the end of the tunnel. it's more frustrating with a back though as at least, eventually, you can get a new hip, this is me, done for the rest of my life. I can see me being in a wheelchair in a few years because it is that bad. Someday I can't walk or even move in the bed without screaming.

Feeling sorry for myself.

That’s understandable! For me it was “you’ve got eight years to wait and three stone to lose.”

Eight years of this every single day… I wasn’t suicidal because I need to keep going for my kids and DH. But if you’d told me I could die without upsetting anyone I’d have jumped at the chance. The pain and lack of rest grinds me down so far I can barely focus some days.

I’ve almost finished losing the three stone but I’m still plodding my way through my eight year sentence.

I’m so sorry you are going through this. Have a scream into the ether when
to need it. You aren’t alone.

Well done on the losing weight. I had a friend who needed two knees and they wouldn't do it as he was too young and overweight. He paid privately as he couldn't lose weight as he could hardly walk. As he said, he'd rather have good knees whilst he is younger not as an old man

I’m sufficiently fat that a private hospital wouldn’t do it unless I lost the weight (or at least that’s what the one local to me said) because of the risk of complications in surgery.

If I can get the weight down, I’m saving for private because life like this is untenable. But it’s hard, because food is one of the few things that is still enjoyable despite arthritis!

Do you find water helps? I get in a pool
whenever I possibly can because everything feels better when water supports me.

I work in an Orthopaedic hospital. You have to go old enough for a knee replacement because they’re actually pretty shit and they wear out quickly. And revision knees are worse than primary.

physio/strength training is somewhat effective for reducing pain. as is keeping weight in healthy bmi range and good nutrition.
it's really really hard though and that's where health providers are missing great opportunities.

Yes, but you are missing out on life as a 40 year old (or whatever) with children and things to do whereas if a knee wears out at 65 or 70, you are past the running around after kids stage etc.