Confused?

Lealea4435

Hi I'm looking for a bit of advice on what I can do next I suppose?

Since I was about 11ish possibly earlier I have suffered with pain in my knees, they click, grind and collapse throughout my teenage years I visited the doctors often and they referred me to numerous hospital apts and each and ever doctor said I had 'growing pains' and it would all disappear by the age of 21.

Here I am age 32 with increasing pain and clicking (not so much collapsing anymore as I have learnt the triggers and how to avoid) and over the years it has gradually gone down into my calves and ankles and I also notice it in my wrists which are very clicky and elbow (more pain than clicks) for years I put it down to RLS until recently I suggested arthritis to my gp who gave me pain killers and sent me for blood tests.

I am due the results in a day or two but like all other results they probably won't show anything and the pain killers I have been given are no better than sugar cubes...

At night I often want to saw my own legs off to alleviate the annoyance of my knees, calves and ankles and have to talk 30/500 (codeine) to get to sleep. Once asleep I'm ok till the morning.

The pain feels like it's centre in the middle of my bones if that makes sense and on a scale of 1-10 I would say 7 (on an annoyance scale it would be 100)

I want to know what I can do to get help for the pain and how I can get it diagnosed and treated ... Most trips to my doctors over the years have resulted in my suggestions being there diagnoses ?

helpline_team

Dear Lealea,

Thank you for your enquiry to Helplines. I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a lot of difficulty with the pain and clicking in your joints. I can hear that the GP is picking up on things, but I wonder whether a musculoskeletal investigation might be helpful?

Because mechanical and osteoarthritis problems are far more statistically likely and these conditions won't be seen in blood tests - so the musculoskeletal team are better placed to pick up on those issues. The advantage is that they can offer you physiotherapy immediately which you will be taught to perform every day. If body weight is a contributing factor to your pain, you may be advised to lose weight.

If you'd like information about self managing arthritis, please email your name and address to helplines@arthritiscare.org.uk or you can download our information here: http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets

I hope that's helpful

Guy

elnafinn

Hi Lealea

You mention that that you thought your problem may be RLS. No doubt you have looked at the RLS UK site which states:

Could I have RLS?
The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) has proposed a set of diagnostic criteria for RLS. If you suffer from all four of these symptoms, you may have RLS. We recommend you visit your GP should you have any health concerns.
Diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) can be made if all of the following five criteria are met:
1) A need to move the legs, usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable, unpleasant sensations in the legs. Any kind of sensation may be a manifestation of RLS and a wide variety of descriptions have been used ranging from "painful" to "burning" - some people say it feels like they have insects inside their legs or arms. Sometimes the need to move is present without the uncomfortable sensations and sometimes the arms or other body parts are involved in addition to the legs.
2) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are exclusively present or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying or sitting.
3) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are partially or totally relieved by movement such as walking or stretching at least as long as the activity continues.
4) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are generally worse or exclusively occur in the evening or night.
5) Your symptoms are not solely accounted for by another condition such as leg cramps, positional discomfort, leg swelling or arthritis. RLS often causes difficulty in falling or staying asleep, one of the chief complaints of the syndrome. Many people who have the disease also have periodic limb movements (PLMs)—jerking of the arms or legs that is often associated with sleep disruption.

You say you will know the result of your tests in a few days time. Do let us know how you go on.

Elna (a member of the forum)

Lealea4435

Thank you both so much for all the useful information, I am ringing my doctors to check up on my results tomorrow so will keep u informed and on my next apt with the doctor I will mention the musculoskeletal thing lol sorry I'm really new to all the terms