Knee Arthritis - pain relief help please!

spookess

Hi! Newby here!! I had a fulkerson Osteotomy 3 years ago (the breaking and repositioning of the bone immediately below the knee cap and fixed in to place with screws) as i was getting a lot of pain on the inner side of my knee. After a number of xrays, mri's, having a camera put in my knee etc the consultant said that my cartilage was wearing away on one side which meant that the surgery was needed. As i later found out, and have confirmed on this site, this is basically arthritis.

I have been to see the consultant many times and basically have been told that a TKR is not an option because of my age (i'm 28 next month) and that because of the pattern and area of cartilage wear i am not suitable for other procedure e.g mosaicplasty or the one where they drill holes in the knee cap to release bone marrow which in effect creates new cartilage.

I am taking dihydracodeine for the pain (been on these for about 5 years in total) and unfortunately ibuprofen don't have any effect on me as i have been taking these since i was about 10.

I was wondering if anyone reading this has any suggestions of any other ways i can relieve the pain??? I have tried heat pads, hot water bottles, tens machines, those ibuprofen gels, accupuncture and physio but nothing has worked (cold compresses make the pain worse). I have also lost almost 2 stone ( ) upon a suggestion from my consultant that weight loss would take the stress off my knee and have dropped from 13st 2 to 11 st 4 but this has done nothing either.

Any suggestions??

elnafinn

Hi spookess

Welcome to the site. I am sorry to hear you are in pain with your knee. You seem to have tried everything haven't you? How long does your consultant expect you to carry on suffering until he feels that it is time for you to have a TKR? I bet he has not got arthritis of the knee. It is true losing weight, and by the way, congratulations for doing that, will put less strain on the knee but it does not solve the problem as you have found out.

If I were you, I would ask for a second opinion. I am positive that people on here have had TKRs at your age. We are aware that plastic and metal replacements do not last forever and that a second and perhaps third op carry more complications but in the end it is the patient that should be able to make the decision, not for the consultant to dictate when.

It is our body and we know what the pain is like, no one else does.

I wish you well,

Elna

katherine810

I'm having knee problems also.

I'm 16 years old, and can no longer bend my knee... It's been almost a year now, and it makes me really depressed at times, i love to do ballet and steps i used to do i now fall to the floor in agony if i try, and i have a high pain threshold, very high.

I just don't know what to do, i feel so usless, my doctor won't do anything and i'm struggling, i'm having to learn new ways to do things, and when i go down a steep step and forget about my knee, it's not a pretty sight. I really miss being able to knee on the floor not caring about this knee pain (other arthritis pain really doesn't compare...) as well as ballet, which is something I love to do very much as a hobby, i had to think about giving it up for the first time a few months ago. I may have to, and that fact is killing me inside.

My parents do not understand how i'm feeling, at the moment ANYTHING to fix it sounds very appealing, which is scaring me. I don't know if there is anything that can be done yet, but i'm only 16 and i can't live with this for the rest of my life i really can't.

I've managed to deal with everything arthritis has thrown me over the past 12 years, but this is too much for me.

Sorry for the rant,

It's been on my mind for a while, i might post this in a new post to see if anyone has had similar problems

Again sorry for the rant,

Love
Katherine x

spookess

Hi Katherine18. I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with this too!! I know how you feel about giving up the things you love, i used to bowl (10 pin) in a league twice a week but had to stop, i don't go out round town anymore as i have to keep sitting down and a lot of the venues now don't really have seating areas and i have to think in advance about where i am going out to make sure i don't have to walk to far, if they DO have seating, are there a lot of stairs etc. Not much fun for a 28 year old!!

To the lady who replied first (sorry i didn't see your name before i hit reply), thank you for the congrats on the weight loss! I wasn't fishing for that but it is appreciated!. As for the second opinion, I went to see a consultant at the hospital but then every appointment i had after that was with one of his colleagues and i rarely ever saw the same person twice, when i had to have the screws taken out (they were stuck out too far causing immense pain if i so much as touched them) it was a completely different surgeon to my consultant who put them in. Now i have been passed to a different consultant who agrees with the others that there is nothing that can be done, although he does come up with reasons why and doesn't just say no. He says that if he thought any other surgeon in the country would do something then he would refer me to them but he reckons there isn't! They did say that the only way they would do a TKR now is if i were in a wheelchair unable to walk and that if they were to do one now, then i might get 2 or 3 relacements of worn out artificial joints attached then it would be impossible and i would be left without a knee by the time i was 52.

In february of this year my knee gave out from under me and i landed full force on it (i didn't even have time to put my hands down to take some of the impact), i burst the scar open and the pain is a lot worse since. When i mentioned it to my consultant he said that the surgery i had done, with the screws, meant that my knee would lock and give out occasionaly They never told me this before they did the surgery otherwise i wouldn't have had it done. Now i am constantly afraid that it is going to go again and i will be left in even omore pain (If that's possible!!)

bailey27

Hi
I am 29 and have arthritis of lower spin and hips. I was having ain in knee so had MRI then key hole surgery to remove the fat pad and have since found out that I will need a partial knee replacement - knee cap and i tink cartlidge.
I was also told that I was too young at the moment. The consultant has suggested I have an oil injection into the knee to prevent further damage and to lubricate the joint. (Since being on here I have found out that it is called a Synvisc injection).
Has this been suggested to you?
I am usually very active and play a lot of sport. It is easy for the doctors to say lose weight but they dont suggest how you do it when you are physically unable to move some days! It is quite frustrating as I have recently put on a stone in about 4 months. I can't exercise at the moment because of the pain in my back and if that goes then without a doubt my knee will play up!!!

spookess

In the spine!! That sounds really nasty and puts my little old knee pain into persepective!! I hope the injection works for you, i will definately put the idea to my consultant at my next appointment.

My latest concern is that my other knee is starting with similar pains to how my bad knee started out. Also, (and i hope i don't offend anyone on here but i can't think of another way to put it), when i have 'been' with my partner my hips lock up and are really quite painful. I am therefore worried that the arthritis is spreading.

I know it sounds like i am being a wimp but i assure you i have a very high pain threshold, i have 7 tattoos inlcuding ones of my spine, kidney area and ankle bones, and it is true of me to say that i tend to start dozing off while they are being done. This is why i know that the pain i feel is of a very high amount!!

bailey27

Hi,You should definately ask your doctor. There are options out there for you and sometimes I feel you just need to prompt the doctors. I have found it definately spreads and quite often very quickly. I havent even had pain in my wrists or hands yet apart from some morning stiffness. I told this to my Rheumy who sent me for an ultrasound within a couple of weeks. The doctor who did the ultrasound told me I had inflammation in there but it was inactive (whatever that means???). So if I was to guess I have it in my hands and wrists too but just waiting for it to pop up and say hello my means of pain!!!!!!
You are right in thinking it may be in your other knee, you should definately get it checked.

katherine810

katherine810 wrote:

I'm having knee problems also.

I'm 16 years old, and can no longer bend my knee... It's been almost a year now, and it makes me really depressed at times, i love to do ballet and steps i used to do i now fall to the floor in agony if i try, and i have a high pain threshold, very high.

I just don't know what to do, i feel so usless, my doctor won't do anything and i'm struggling, i'm having to learn new ways to do things, and when i go down a steep step and forget about my knee, it's not a pretty sight. I really miss being able to knee on the floor not caring about this knee pain (other arthritis pain really doesn't compare...) as well as ballet, which is something I love to do very much as a hobby, i had to think about giving it up for the first time a few months ago. I may have to, and that fact is killing me inside.

My parents do not understand how i'm feeling, at the moment ANYTHING to fix it sounds very appealing, which is scaring me. I don't know if there is anything that can be done yet, but i'm only 16 and i can't live with this for the rest of my life i really can't.

I've managed to deal with everything arthritis has thrown me over the past 12 years, but this is too much for me.

Sorry for the rant,

It's been on my mind for a while, i might post this in a new post to see if anyone has had similar problems

Again sorry for the rant,

Love
Katherine x

I've just realised i was too busy off in my own world... i'm very sorry.

As far as suggestions go ummmm, chocolate, ice cream (or insert favorite junk food here) with a friend and a nice film to take your mind off things works better than any painkiller i've found.

On a more medical note... have you tried all the ibprofen gels? I've used it once but it didn't do alot for me, but it can't cause any harm to try?

I really think you've tired most of it, your determination (spelling?) is amazing

If i learn anything else helps you'll be the first to know

Love
Katherine xx

lindah

How about knee braces or pads.
Someone on the living site the other week had done a climb up Snowdon and was recommendind them.Don't know if they would help.
Linda H 8)

lisa11

hi
my son has a knee brace i have never known anything sooooooo useless we had great expectations of it and it was a complete let down now like the rest of you he is struggling 18 months ago he was living his dream of football now that is shattered and is really getting him down as he was always so active the problem is the nhs totaly useless give u methotrexate and send u on your way to deal with it as if you just have a headache sooooo sorry for negative wrighting but its been a bad nite take care all
love lisa x