KNEE ARTHRITIS - General principles of managing Osteoarthritis of the knee :

Diagnosed with Arthritis - - Posted by Jennie (Jennie), 15 July 2003

Hi all

Just thought I would post under here and try to get some advice on Arthritis

After my last surgery and everything I have already took along with having bad knees my OS told me that I have Arthritis in my right knee and it is progressing pretty fast

So my next question is does anyone have any advice on keeping it under control and any pain remedies

I am already on Ultram every 4 hours and ice like crazy
but its that burning stiff achy drive you crazy kind of pain

I knew that Arthritis was no doubt coming but its still the last thing you want to add to your list

any advice please
Jennie
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 29 July 2003

Hi Jennie,

It depends on how advanced your arthritis is...

Now my first question is about your prescribed meds--ultram is a pain reliever for more "chronic" pain if I understand right.  A typical treament is an NSAID of some type to beat the day to day inflammation and pain of arthritis.  There are a lot of possibilities out there--I have used relafen, naprosyn, bextra, ibuprofen, vioxx.  The thing I have learned with these meds is that they DO NOT  get rid of all of the pain--but they do make one heck of a difference in the overall discomfort level you have.

Another proven treatment is an OTC supplement--glucosamine.  Now, to be quite honest, it did not help me at all--and I tried about 4 or 5 different brands.  However, I'm thinking that you have to have some cartillage present in the first place for the therapeutic use of this to have any meaning.  I have one friend in particular who had amazing results from glucosamine after a couple of months of using it.

Other treatments include--exercise and movement--try to prevent stiffness from setting in.  Ice or heat can help you in that arena as well.  Most arthritis associations promote some water programs as well.

I hope that helps some.  Good luck with it, Sylvia
Posted by Jennie (Jennie), 29 July 2003

Hi Sylvia

I am taking Ultram for my more severe Knee and hip pain, but once a day I take Mobic which is a wonderful arthritis drug

Thank you for your reply, water helps so much,even if I can't make it to the pool just sitting in the bath helps very much!

Again thank you and I really am prayin that things turn around for you soon,cause God knows you deserve it!

Love,Jennie
Posted by lam651 (lam651), 30 July 2003

Hi Jennie,
If you are being diagnosed with arthritis, maybe have them do a thorough job of it and make sure they have the diagnosis correct. I'm currently in the process of having a thorough diagnosis being done on me.

Some years back I was diagnosed with having osteoarthritis. Their method of doing that consisted of nothing more than looking at x-rays and asking me questions.Now with me facing alot more problems I questioned that haphazard way of diagnosing me to begin with.

I've had some blood drawn for tests and I believe there will be more tests to follow, but I want to know for certain if I have something other than osteoarthritis.

This is just a thought to try to save you grief later on. Take care, Larry
Posted by Jennie (Jennie), 30 July 2003

Thank you Larry

My os also done x-rays and an MRI

I am just trying to get used to being the national weather service for my family

Take care

Love,Jennie

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.

Advertisement