Newly diagnosed

fizzycustard

Hi all I have recently been diagnosed with arthritis, I had a car crash 6 weeks ago and fractured my kneecap, I was banadaged up and told not to put any weight on my leg until i went for the follow up, I was then given a splint to wear for 2 weeks then given a hinged brace for 2 weeks, my fracture is now healed but the consultant said I had arthritis of the knee ( something I never even knew about)
I am now out of the brace my knee is still painful especially when bending it and walking up and down the stairs, the only other problem i have is that if i sit or walk about for too long then my foot and ankle gets very swollen, is this normal with arthritis or is this a differant problem....sorry for the long post

Hazel

stickywicket

It's not a long post, Hazel, and I can understand your anxiety and possibly some bewilderment at finding yourself in this situation.

I presume you had physio for the knee. If you're still seeing a physio they would be the best person to ask. If not, a short course might help. You can always ask your GP for a referral.

Meanwhile, two things come to mind. Firstly, arthritis can often set in in one joint then move on to others. So it is possible you also have it in your foot and ankle. However, if your leg has not been seeing much action recently because of the accident and recovery, then the foot and ankle might just be protesting about their sudden increased workload. It might be just muscular and it might go away as things settle down more. However, we are not docs and I think you need a proper diagnosis from someone who is. Tell your GP about the latest issues and see what he or she says. I wish you well.

(fizzycustard How? What? I like it )

barbara12

Hello Hazel and welcome form me
Sorry you have had to find us but glad you have..you will get lots of support and info..have they said how bad the OA is ..maybe the pain is coming from the accident and will ease off .has for your foot and ankle you could ask for an Xray or an ultrasound to see what is going on..

dreamdaisy

What a fabulous username, I love it! I take it you mean osteoarthritis? That can set in after trauma to a joint, I have it all over the place thanks to the joint damage caused by my other form of arthritis and it's not fun. Once one joint is out of kilter we alter how we move or do things and thus put pressure on other joints so they too fire up in protest, 'tis the nature of the beast. When resting ensure your feet are up and your knees supported with a cushion under them to ease the strain on the joint. I am sorry that you have been diagnosed, I think the best person to chat things over with is your GP because they deal with the management of OA. I wish you well. DD

fizzycustard

Thanks for the replies, I have my first physio tomorrow so will ask them, the swelling is on the same side as my arthritis, they never said which arthritis it was just that it was mild to moderate, while I was sitting at my desk at work today i kept wiggling my foot about and the swelling hasn't been as bad so maybe its lack of movement, I must admit I haven't been moving it properly lately due to been scared of 'hurting' it ....can't remmeber wher my username came from just recalled seeing something somehwere and they were saying they wondered what custard would taste like if it were fizzy lol

stickywicket

The physio will probably have it on your notes which type of arthritis you have but it does sound like OA. From what you say about not having wanted to move the ankle much and it actually feeling better when you do, I'd guess improvement might be a real possibility but, again, the physio should know. I do hope all goes well and thanks for the username explanation