Any Ideas ?

thewifie

Hi all, new here, my first post.

My husband has arthritis in his knees, worst in his left leg which is unfortunate because that is also him 'good' leg as he had a right sided stroke 13 years ago.

The doctor is very unwilling to prescribe anti inflamatories apart from a low dose of Ibuprofen so his knee is always sore and uncomfortable.

Has anyone any non medical tips for easing the discomfort ? He has been told to lose weight but to do this he has to move and walk and he is not too willing to do this because of the pain. It's a vicious circle !

JuliaHod12

Hi there
and welcome to the forum :-)

I have OA in both my knees,the left being worst.

I have found the only non medical benefit is swimming ( i dont peronally swim so i just tread water in the pool and do my exercises) the other thing might be a hot tub
Of course,I understand your hubby may have difficulties getting in and out of a pool if he has had a stroke.
It may only ease the pains for a short while in the pool/ tub, but it will help with the losing weight issue.

It couldbe worth pursuing your GP to see if there are any Hydro Therapy sessions available at your local hospital?

I hope you find a solution for your hubby

Best of luck

Julia x

barbara12

Hi thewife...I do love the name
I was just going to repeat what julia has said anything that is not putting weight on his knee, but you do have to keep them moving, I know its easy to do say but the knee will seize up if he doesn't and the pain can get worse
I do hope he can get some help very soon x

thewifie

I have been using a heat pack on his knee after he has been walking, it seems to help.

We live out in the country so apart from the local swimming pool there is no hydrotherapy nearby. He uses a seat in the bath for a shower but I don't think I would ever get him out of a bath as he outweights me by about 5 stone ! :shock:

We have been lent a vibrating massager, has anyone used one of these to good effect ?

stickywicket

Hi there. It is a difficult one but the thing about exercising it is that it keeps the muscles strong so they support the joint so, in the end, the joint hurts less. There is a good booklet on exercise among AC's publications. (Top left of the page.)

Ice and/or heat can ease inflammation. Some find one helpful and some the other but the muscles still need to be kept strong.

There are also painkillers/paindullers (depending on your perspective) such as cocodamol and tramadol.

Tha bath situation - I have a bath lift, supplied by social services, and there's no way I could get into the bath, even with a seat, without it. I'm pretty rubbish on a shower seat too as I can't reach much below the knee. It might be worth your contacting an occupational therapist (Check your local council's website) to see what help is available.

As for weight loss - we have a remarkable lady on here who is in a wheelchair but still managed to lose 5 stone so it can be done. I do hope your husband can find some relief.

thewifie

Thanks for that, will look at the book.

He is already on some very heavy duty painkillers but the ones that would help, they are unwilling to prescribe because he had a brain hemorrhage years ago. We managed to argue for low dose Ibuprofen but I'm not sure it helps that much. I have also started him on Glucosamine and Chondrotine to see if that helps.

He has also recently developed Type 2 Diabetes which makes losing weight just as important but it is an uphill struggle as his depression means he is not willing to do things unless pushed !

Alleviating some of the pain would maybe make him more willing to walk etc.

stickywicket

It is a bit of a Catch 22 situation, isn't it? Very difficult for both of you. Quite a few of our members are currently trying to lose weight and have started a 'Healthy Eating' thread. Understandably, I think it lost a bit of momentum over Easter :roll: but there are some good suggestions on there.

I would ensure your GP is aware of the Glucosamine and Chondroitin. These supplements are sometimes not advisable when other meds are being taken.

valval

hi welcome from me it is a hard one it much easyer in the warm weather to move more i must admit ask your gp for advice they can give prescriptions i think that gives you cheep sesions at leasure center if there is one near you and there should be some one there who can help with exercises that should help it a matter of trial and error some times ti chi suposed to be very good and not to strenus if any where near you does it val

thewifie

Thanks, I did check with GP who OK'ed used them.

I try and keep him eating a fairly reduced carbohydrate diet to keep his blood sugars down but he cheats when I am not around ! :shock:

thewifie

Thanks Val, I'm looking forward to better weather so at least he can sit outside and maybe feel like walking round the garden.

I will look into things at leisure centre but I have not heard of anything like that here.

elnafinn

Hi thewifie,

Welcome to the forum. Your hubby can do exercises sitting in a chair. :)Any exercise is better than none. Has your hubby been referred to a physio or has he an exercise plan to follow? It is, as others have said and you know too, a good idea to move around and keep those knees bending and so on. As the saying goes, use it or lose it. As others have said ice and heat are good. Before my total knee replacements I always went for the heat rather than cold and used microwaveable wheatbags. Post op I was instructed to use ice to reduce swelling. Losing weight is of course a good idea but not easy, especially when not too mobile. Does your husband have any hobbies?

Look after each other,

Elna x

thewifie

Thanks Elna, I also use a heated wheat bag on his knee, helps a bit I think.

He has been referred to the physio, waiting for an appointment, they are very slow here ! I agree with 'use it or lose it ' !!! but because of his depression he is not easy to motivate but I keep trying. He does walk round the house regularly and we try and get outside at least twice a day for a longer walk, weather permitting.

He does have interests but they are mostly sitting down ones !

emsjane

HEAT!

Any sort of heat should help!

A nice warm bath will help before and after any exercise or walking.
Heat pads and going out in the sunshine when it finally arrives!!!!!

stickywicket

How are things today with you both? I've been thinking about you and wondering if his main problem is the depression. Maybe the stroke, diabet es and arthritis are just making him feel it's not even worth trying. That makes things very tough for you.

I have DVD of exercises you can do even from a wheelchair. Maybe you could do them together and laugh at each other? Also, when you're out, make sure he has the fruit bowl near him and/or other healthy snacks but that he has to walk as far as possible for the less healthy stuff. Keep the real baddies under lock and key or just put them where he can't access them. (My biscuit tin is in the bottom of a bottom cupboard so I just can't be bothered getting it out except for visitors.)

Does your husband have a wheelchair or scooter? We take my wheelchair for a 'walk' - I walk some bits and ride others. Sometimes we go with friends where we can hire a scooter and, when I want to walk, someone else drives the scooter for a while. (Mind you, we still end up ruining all the good work with a pub lunch :roll: )

thewifie

Thanks, sticky, today we managed to walk to the corner, a major achievement ! I would like to know,can you padlock a freezer !!
His depression was a major factor in all of this but he has recently had treatment so is a bit more motivated just now. We keep plodding on !

We don't have a scooter and he will only use a stick outside. He sees such things as a backward step and is VERY stubborn about accepting things, after 13 years he still does not accept that he is never going to be 'normal' again hence the dip into depression every few years. It's very difficult to cope with sometimes.

stickywicket

thewifie wrote:

Thanks, sticky, today we managed to walk to the corner, a major achievement ! I would like to know,can you padlock a freezer !!

Well done on the walk, wifie! That's a good start.

You know, you can buy locks for freezers though anything that came out would require cooking and that, presumably, would get him moving. Just ensure there's no ready meals or ice cream in there.

thewifie

It's the ice cream !! but once it's gone it's gone ! I won't buy anymore Maybe I should turn the freezer so the door is to the wall........maybe that's a bit cruel though not to mention doing my back in !

XxxHollyDollyxxX

hello
has your husband tried swimming its just i cant put pressure on my feet to walk or exercise but i can still swim as im not putting any waight on my feet i hope it will help him

thewifie

He is not a very keen swimmer unfortunately which is a shame because it would do him good. I will have to look into the times at the pool for disabilities if it is 7 in the morning forget it....far too early with no transport. :shock: