pain around my knee

brandy192

Hi I have OA in both knees and get the usual daily pain in my knee joints along with some stiffness. Recently I have had two episodes of extreme pain lasting for about a week both times. The first was in my left leg starting from the top and going down to the knee on the outside of the lag it felt like nerve pain but it came on suddenly I took cocodamol 30/500 four times a day and after being almost immobile for a week it finally calmed down althou I had a feeling of numbness when I touched my leg for a lot longer. The second was extreme pain and ibflamation on the inside of my leg in the knee area again I took cocodamol and used NSAID gel to try and combat the pain I could not bend my knees at all and couldnt even drive for 3 days. My GP doesnt seem to listen and is not very helpul is this just OA or is there something else going on. Any ideas would be welcome.

helpline_team

Hi Brandy

Thank you for your forum posting, I am sorry to hear about the extreme pain and inflammation that you describe. You ask ‘is this just OA or is there something else going on’ we are not medically trained on the Helplines and are unable to offer individual advice. I will do my best to be of some help to you.

You say that your GP ’doesn’t seem to listen and is not very helpful’. It sounds as if you may have felt unheard, and that can be so hard when we really need to be listened to.
I wonder if your GP is part of a group practice, and if so maybe you could see a different one. It would be best to check out what's going on for you with a medical professional. Depending on the outcome, I wonder if a referral to a physiotherapist may be helpful to you.

The link below is to the Arthritis Research publication Osteoarthritis of the knee, which you may find helpful:
http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee.aspx

The following publication is to Arthritis Care information: ‘Coping with pain’ here you will find information about some of the different ways to manage pain:
http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets/main_content/Copingwithpainbooklet2013.pdf

Lastly a link to the Arthritis Care publications, here you will find information on Living with osteoarthritis, and healthy eating to name but a few:
http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources

Brandy I wonder if you would like to give us a call on our Helplines: Freephone 0808 800 4050 (Monday-Friday 10-4) here we can talk informally and in confidence. Sometimes a listening and non-judgmental ear can be helpful.

I do hope this is of some help
Best wishes
Lynda