Just diagnosed

imogentonder

Hi all

Just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, had an mri on my knee which showed it (ivr hadvreal problems with it for ages) and spine showed 2 degenerated disks, but the thing i dont really understand is my arm pain. I didnt have any scans on my arms. Badically if I do anything like hoovering, holding things, anything like that both arms get extremely painful in the whole arm. Is this normal for osteoarthritis? Thanks so much, Imogen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Deleted User]

Hi Imogen
I am sorry we are not medically qualified so I think it would be worth asking your Dr. It could be related to the disc damage in your spine depending on where this is, only your Dr will be able to tell you that. I am aware that others on here experience pains in their arms as a result of osteoarthritis in their shoulder joints and also others have pain in their arms due to spinal disc damage.
I think it is important to tell your Dr what you are experiencing and ask if it is related in any way to your spine or is it something else. Sorry not to be more helpful but you might find this helpful on our website https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/do-i-have-arthritis/a-z-of-types/62-osteoarthritis
Best Wishes
Sharon

stickywicket

imogentonder wrote:

Is this normal for osteoarthritis?

Unfortunately, yes. Remember, when one joint is out of kilter there's a knock-on effect with others. This might mean arthritis in them but, equally, it might just be muscles protesting at unaccustomed use.

I think, if you have OA in a knee and spine, that might be quite sufficient to account for pain when vaccing. Remember the old song –

'Your Knee bone's connected to your thigh bone
Your thigh bone's connected to your hip bone
Your hip bone's connected to your back bone
Your back bone's connected to your shoulder bone' etc etc.

You might, of course, also have OA in your shoulder but, even if you do, nothing much will change re treatment other than, possibly, shoulder exercises. Just become more aware of what does / doesn't set it off and possibly vac in stages. I have a cordless one and love it for ease of access. I loved it in our previous house but, on laminate, it's an effortless dream.

dreamdaisy

Oh dear, your diagnosis is not surprising to me but must still come as a shock to you, yes? I have no idea what is normal for OA but I can answer based on personal experience.

On a practical level I understand that hoovering aggravates matters, it did for me but once I switched to cordless life on that front improved because it eased not only the strain on my arms and shoulders but the strain on my legs (which I hadn't realised was there). Is that a possibility for you? (If you have already done so I apologise.) DD

imogentonder

Hi all thankyou so much for your replies. I do have a cordless hoover but it still hurts. Im ok with that (well you know what i mean!) its just reassuring to know the oa could be causing it rather than something else. Xx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sue

Hi Imogen, I have OA in my neck and this causes pain in my arms sometimes. Not all the time though. I think it's nerves being pinched in my neck.

dreamdaisy

Over the years I have had to change many things to enable me to get on better with life (including moving house, extreme but necessary!) but things still twang, throb and pulse because the joint damage cannot be undone. I have OA in my ankles, knees, hips and one shoulder but I try to keep my muscles as strong as possible to better support the affected joints. Tension also affects my neck and shoulders, when we are in pain we naturally tense up, hold ourselves differently and move differently so what is termed 'referred pain' can become an issue. As you know I am not a doc but I wonder if this is a factor?

Over the years and the arrival of extra arthritis-related troubles I have been referred to physiotherapy, the exercises I was taught are the ones I do to this day (and will do for evermore). I'm sorry for my lack of recall about your exact circumstances but has this been suggested for you? DD