What does arthritis feel like?

nsa405

I'm brand new here, so please forgive me if this has been asked too many times.

What does arthritis pain feel like?
Last week, I had surgery to fix what appeared to be a meniscus tear. the surgeon told my husband no, it is actually arthritis in my knee. I always thought arthritis was an achy feeling, a stiffness. My pain, just above my knee, and to the right of it, is like peaking labor pain! You moms know what I mean- that sharp, rising pain..then some subsiding.

What is your arthritis pain like?

maria09

Hi again
You are right it is like painful contractions I remember it well even though it was 17 years ago
Pain is difficult to describe as its as individual as a person
Mine feels hot and intense like really bad toothache and affects all my joints
My joints also creak and grind too
Hope that helps a little

DebbieT

Hi & welcome,

I would describe mine as white hot stabbing pain wen I'm flaring & burning toothache on a daily basis.

I too know wot you mean by labour pains ... The raising to a peak then subsiding ... I'd class that as my daily pain, the toothache one. Funny how we use different things as descriptors.Lol

I do wonder if the different types cause different pain types? I have PsA & OA, I have no clue which one I feel the most but from where the most pain is I think its PsA I'm describing. I hope that helps.x

nsa405

Thank you both!
Wow- I have a lot to learn. I never knew arthritis pain varied like it does.

dreamdaisy

I have two sorts of arthritis and they feel completely different. I'm not going to even attempt to explain the pain as today is a very rough one and all that will do is focus my attention on it. For me it's a 24/7 thing but, as I'm seventeen years in and have damaged joints all over the shop that's hardly surprising. If it's just the one knee then that's not so bad, take some pain relief because that will help, if it's osteo that you have then gentle exercise is good to help keep the muscles surrounding the joint in better shape to support it. DD

PS Apart from the pain we also have to contend with tiredness, lethargy, depression, frustration and general ignorance of our condition.

stickywicket

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that it's of much help to know what other people feel as we all tend to perceive pain differently. I have RA and OA and I never managed to distinguish between the two pains though others can. Even my own pain has always varied according to some secret agenda of its own Some people seem to feel pain more acutely than others. Distraction, rather than concentrating on it, is always a useful tool - anything that absorbs your attention. Good luck!

maria09

Hi
I have OA and Spondlyo Arthropathy
I had burning hot pain in my foot felt like some one was pouring boiling hot water constantly over my foot now I've had surgery no burning hot pain just healing pain
The "toothache" pain in all other joints is still there at least I've got rid of one
Maria

Boomer13

Hi;
I have a few kinds of pain from PsA,OA, nerve pain, migraines. The inflammatory arthritis pain feels like aching & something gnawing at the ends of your bones plus sharp, hot needle poke-type pain inside the joints, throbbing (Yes I know, I think about it a lot ). The OA pain is different; intense but more steady & grinding. The stiffness part is painful too, like achy-when-you-move pain. I won't even start describing nerve pain or migraines here, or else I'll write a book! I find the inflammatory pain very easy to identify; it's noticeably different.

It's all quite different from the normal barking-your-shins pain. Very distinctive. I don't know what labor pain feels like so can't compare to that .
Hope that helps,
Anna

mazbaz

Hi there and welcome,

I have OA and RA and can definately tell the difference in the pain.
My OA feels like grinding bone on bone and also clicking in the joints, at the moment it is not too bad and definately tolerable, the worst OA pain for me is in my neck.
RA on the other hand is for me very much more painful and debilitating. It feels like your joints are on fire and very swollen. The stiffness in the mornings is also painfull but in more like an achey way although it makes it hard to walk. When the stiffness wears off (usually after meds) I am left with the heat in the joints (knees especially) whch does improve slowly as the day goes on , gets better for exercise, then painfull again after resting.
Things have improved for me though from the days when I used to wake in the middle of the night finding my elbows had locked and I couldnt move!! :shock: :?: :roll:

Wiz

I was only diagnosed in April & prior to that I used to tell people I thought I had a trapped nerve in my hip. It's a constant dull ache, with a sharp stabbing pain, either randomly or when I weight bare, or both.

Boomer13

inflammatory pain tends to gradually improve throughout the day, while OA pain worsens.