KNEE ARTHRITIS - General principles of managing Osteoarthritis of the knee :
Do I have knee arthritis? Advice please ... - - Posted by Kayaar (Kayaar), 31 August 2002
Iam 31 years old. Been having pain in the knee for the last 6 months. Getting worse now. tried quadri xercises. some relief. no swelling around the knee. looks like osteoarthritis from the xray. Very apprehensive at the thought of a knee replacement at an young age.
Any advice and anybody with similar xperiences
Thanks
Posted by CC (CC), 3 September 2002
I too have been dealing with knee pain for about a year now and am 46. I have had 2 steroid shots which relieved it temporarily & have been on glucosomine for several weeks with no noticeable differance. My primary Dr. said it looks like beginning osteoarthritis & the specialist recommended (of course) arthroscopy to try to clean it out & further determine any level of surgery needed. I say NO SURGERY !!
I have read about this Cetyl Myristoleate which may give good relief and am wondering if anyone has tried this & if so, what brand?
You may try this or look on web site for "Urgent Pain Relief. "
I hope we can find some answers. CC
Posted by admin (The KNEEguru), 19 September 2002
on 08/31/02 at 13:31:25, Kayaar wrote:Iam 31 years old. Been having pain in the knee for the last 6 months. Getting worse now. tried quadri xercises. some relief. no swelling around the knee. looks like osteoarthritis from the xray. Very apprehensive at the thought of a knee replacement at an young age.
Any advice and anybody with similar xperiences
Thanks
Hi Kayaar
I think that it would be very helpful to you to find out much more about your knee. X-ray changes suggesting 'arthritis' may give a representative picture, but they will not necessarily give you the full picture. Walk your way through the main KNEEguru site
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk
particularly the symptoms and tests section. Arthritic X-ray changes may be secondary to other underlying problems, such as torn meniscus or a plica, or maltracking of the kneecap - and many other possible causes - and this is where you need to find out what you can from your own symptoms and signs.
Six months is not a long time - and you need to find out a lot more before you throw in the towel and think of a knee replacement.
KNEEguru
Posted by ellynno (ellynno), 21 September 2002
Dear Kayaar, CC, Kneeguru, and you all--
While I was waiting for the rheumatologist the olther day, I read a copy of an arthritis magazine. Two items were of note:
One: Arthroscopy for arthritis is no better than faking surgery. This was a real study! The experiment was that they told the participants they were going to actually do surgery, open the knee, flush it out, look around, do whatever to supposedly help the arthritis, OR just make a small incision and not open the knee. Guess what? The subjects showed the same rate of improvement whether or not they actually had the surgery! (Arthroscopy for other reasons is still a good option.)
Two: Tart cherry juice seems to help arthritis. This was in a letter from a rheumatologist. Could you get this from a health food store maybe?
What do you think? Lynne
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 21 October 2002
Hi!
I saw that magazine and another article about arthroscopy for arthritis that was similar. I guess that I can't imagine having surgery without a plan in mind. I had two scopes to get the loose bodies out of my knee--they were causing me significant trouble in standing and bearing weight. If that is arthroscopy for arthritis, then I'd tend to disagree with the article. However, I was confused on the difference between arthroscopy for arthritis vs arthroscopy for other purposes. (I guess that I just am not sure what the first thing is...)
Sylvia
Posted by Guinea_Pig (Guinea_Pig), 10 November 2002
At any age, IF you mishandle a knee condition or injury you are risking your life. (read on)
I am a 54 year old male who has had 8 surgeries in the past 17 years. I list my brief history and experience to scare you to a qualified specialist for a proper examination and diagnosis.
I offer you my story:
March 1986
When I was 37 years old, I fell while snow skiing on March 10th. My femur rotated over the tibia while falling forward and fractured the articular surface of the medial femoral chondyle.
I went to my HMO "urgent care center" the next day and was examined by a DR who without x-rays diagnosed a sprained right knee. I was referred to a "family practice doctor”. Without x-rays, he confirmed the diagnosis and asked for a two week follow-up. This routine continued until May 10th when I demanded an exam by an orthopedic surgeon.
May 1986
Examination and x-ray by a Medical Assistant to an Orthopedic Surgeon recommended immediate surgery and called the DR for my first examination by an Orthopedic Surgeon . He also asked for a two week follow up then scheduled my first arthroscopy for June 1986.
June 1986
After waking in the recovery room, the DR told me the damage to my articular surface was so bad I needed a total joint replacement. He then removed any hope of relief and added I was too young. He advised I learn to live with the pain
October 1986
The pain was so great I was suicidal in spite of receiving psychological counseling. I was referred to the CIGNA knee specialist. A former team doctor for a football team.
December 1986
Second arthroscopy performed: a "drilling Procedure" which caused the bone to bleed and form "fibro cartilage" (doctor terminology for "scab")
The result was great. I was pain free and believed I had escaped a grim future and could get back to living. After all, my injury had consumed 9 months of my life as a married father of two teenagers. I even started a new career, away from insurance.
November 4th, 2002
I had my 8th surgery, receiving a second generation uni-compartmental replacement of the right medial femoral chondyle.
I am free of the "joint pain" but suffer from post operative knee replacement pain and once again some serious rehabilitation. I hope and pray my life will be free of joint pain. Afterall, my knee sprain of 1986 has consumed 153 months (16 years 9 months) of my life as a divorced, remarried father of two married adults with two grandchildren. I even started a new career. I opened my own business in 1990 because no insurance company would hire me as an adjuster. I had just recovered from transplant surgery, when I was on a donor list for 10 1/2 months, in-patient surgery, 5 1/2 months of post operative care to be full weight bearing. I even applied for, and received social security disability.
Yes, my suggestion is that you seek a proper examination by a qualified specialist. Don't be afraid to ask for or insist on diagnostic procedures. In some cases, the hell with insurance, pay for it yourself.
If the knee guru would like more historical information from a patients view below are the surgeires I have had.
June 1986
December 1986
October 1987
Arthroscopy following re-injury while helping two other men push a car twenty feet.
March 1990
Osteo Chondral Allograft (transplant of cadaver tissue)
April 1997
Arthroscopy to diagnose pain
June 2000
Arthroscopy to diagnosis pain and biopsy cartilage for ACI
January 2001
ACI
December 2001
MRI diagnosis: 12mmx12mmx13mm area of vascular necrosis
November 2002
Uni-compartmental replacement
Posted by admin (The KNEEguru), 13 April 2003
HI
That story is a real tragedy, and one of the reasons why this board exists and why there is so much goodwill here. The knee is one of those medical parts where so many doctors are ready to dismiss an injury with a diagnosis of 'sprain' and referral to a PT without any real attempt at finding out what is truly wrong. Not really the doctor's fault - there is a gap in medical education here. And many doctors are reading this board in a genuine attempt to fully understand the issues.
So a good dictum is 'if in doubt, seek truly expert advice and try to get knowledgeable yourself'.
KNEEguru
Posted by Darvin_Hansen (Darvin_Hansen), 18 August 2004
Kayaar: 31 is not much older than I am - 26. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, but the local GP misdiagnosed the cause as a meniscal tear - in actual fact it was patello femoral pain caused by a bump to my patella and the VMO subsequently shutting down.
I didn't find this last bit out until I went to see a proper orthopaedic doctor (who sees lots of pro athletes).
So if you haven't, get plenty of opinions before surgery. If I hadn't have done that I may have ended up being referred to the very surgeon who ruined my dad's knees.
Edit: Also note that I had been doing quads/hamstring exercises prior - but due to inadequate VMO use, it wasn't helping. Bear that in mind.
Posted by heather_k (heather k from wales), 18 August 2004
When I was 19, I wrenched my knee, causing a complete tear of the ACL, LCL a bucket handle tear of the medial meniscus and tearing the MCL.
I went to A+E where I was diaagnosed as having a sprained knee.
I was relieved, I thought I'd broken my leg!. I had absolutley no idea about all the complicated structures of the knee and just how serious my injury was.
I continued with all my sports although with great difficulty.
I went back and to to my GP and A+E whenever I tweeked my knee. Every time I was told it would just take time to heal. I was never referred for physio or to an Orthopedic OS.
My knee would constantly give way and lock, until 4 year later, it locked and I was unable to unlock it. I went to A+E and a Dr said there was nothing wrong with it. He tried to force it to bend, with me squeeling in pain. I demanded to see a knee specialist.
The next day I saw the knee OS, who operated a couple of days later. He was absolutley livid that the A+E Dr tried to force my knee to bend.
Thats when my knee op saga began........
Again in 2001, my knee locked and I was unable to unlock it. I went to A+E where a Dr told me it wasnt locked!. I knew it was, been there, done that!.
I stopped him when he tried to force it to bend and again demanded tio see my OS.
I was sent to see a hand specialist the next day!.
She told me that my knee wasnt locked and there was absolutley no ned to use crutches!. I couldnt even rest my foot on the ground because the pain was so intense!.
I asked her to refer me to see my knee OS ASAP. She said there was no urgency and might get an appointment in 3-6 months.
I went to see my GP, who by now understood and made an appointment for me to see him privatley, 2 weeks later was the soonest date available.
Luckily an NHS appointment came through for 3 weeks later, so I canceled the private appointment.
When I saw my OS, he had a brief look at my knee and could see that it was locked. I had the operation within a couple of hours.
I have absolutley no faith in A+E Drs after my experience.
I feel as if I have been so badly let down and feel as if my injuries would have been far less if my knee would have been delt with correctly from day 1 of my injury.
Heather
Updated Fri Jan 9 2009