Osteoarthritis

[catrescuelady]

I have osteoarthritis in both knees. One is now constantly swollen but it feels like bone rather than muscle. On the same leg I am now having a lot of pain on the front of my foot. Could this be connected? Medication makes in bearable but I am still in a lot of pain daily. Physio doesn't help.

I'm no expert, but it does sound like what my father dealt with. It could be arthritis in your foot. But it could also be a consequence of the way you're moving as a result of the knee problems. Maybe you're somehow putting more pressure on the foot. Or it could be gout. Or it could be another problem.

Please, please be aggressive about getting help from your GP. If your GP won't refer you for specialist help, do whatever you can to get another GP's opinion. Waiting lists are so long right now for any kind of help and you want to make sure to get on one as early as possible.

My father ended up in so much pain that he pretty much gave up on life. He became completely sedentary and that led to further problems. So you do want to get this taken care of as soon as possible.

There are people at my gym who get injections every few months for their arthritis and my aunt has been offered a knee replacement. I don't know what other options are available but I'd ask your GP about these. Seriously, don't hold back. Go after that help!

Thank you for your reply. I feel like I am just moaning for nothing but the pain keeps me awake. I will try to contact the doctors again tomorrow.

I don't think you're moaning unreasonably at all. My father (and several of his friends) were in horrendous pain. It takes such a toll on physical and mental health.

I think you need to be extremely aggressive in getting help. Do not take no for an answer. Keep pushing to get real help (like referrals to specialists) from your GP. If your GP won't help, push for another GP to get involved.

Do ask your GP about gout and physio help (a physio might be able to tell you if you're walking differently because of the knee problem and injuring the foot).

Also, I'm not expert so please ask your GP/physio about this, but I hear that exercise is recommended for people with arthritis. Maybe you can join yoga or get a trainer to help you figure out other exercises.

I do hope you can get help. The injections seem to work best for the people I know with arthritis.

Not in my knees but I do have osteoarthritis, mine is in one hip ( not bad enough for a replacement) but far worse in my spine which has now bent because of the damage which makes walking extremely painful & difficult. I’ve had a few bad falls as I don’t pick my feet up properly because of it, last year ending up with two black eyes & a broken nose….looked like I’d gone two rounds with Mike Tyson 🙄
You say you’ve seen a physio? My GP referred me to one, you can actually refer yourself now for free physio under the NHS, the exercises didn’t help all that much but what it did highlight was exactly where my problem lay which up to then the GP hadn’t.
As far as knees, my mum had that really bad in both knees. She had both knees replaced which helped hugely. One did fail but they redid it. So you could try asking your GP about that? As far as painkillers go, I have Naproxen & sometimes amitriptyline for bedtime as I’m prone to bad bouts of sciatica when nerves get trapped in my spine. It’s actually an antidepressant but helps with nerve pain.

I've got Patellofemoral osteoarthritis in one knee, torn meniscus and a huge section of cartilage missing.

I fe your pain literally.

Have you been seen by an Orthopaedic Surgeon? What have they said?

They haven't referred me. Just said there was nothing they could do just manage it will medication. I have meniscus tear in both knees also. I need to push for a referal I think.

I paid for physio, although at a discounted rate as it's a place where they train physiotherapists.

They gave me a letter to give to the GP stating that my knee was swollen and painful and was not responding to physio (ultrasound).

Hi op I'm really sorry you are suffering with this.
My OH has osteoarthritis in his spine and has had for it for several years. However he tends to take ibuprofen when it's really painful or he can feel the pain. Or he vapes CBD which he said works wonders.

I agree about being aggressive in getting someone to take it seriously.

My GP dismissed my hip X-ray as only being moderate arthritis. I couldn’t walk without crutches and the impact on my mental health was immense. When I went for physio, the chap looked again at the X-ray and was horrified.

He referred me to a consultant and I now have two new hips and romp up mountains.

Don’t let them fob you off!!

That’s wonderful, so pleased for you.
Can I ask, how did your physio get to see your X-rays? I have a physio but she says she can’t access mine

The physio works from the same surgery as the GP.