Question mark

Airwave!

I have suffered with oa pain for as long as I can remember, often complaining of pain when I was young and at age of 62 just got up the uurrmmmpphhh to tell the GP, the xray result on my ankle has come back 'clear'. I have oa everywhere else, I'm confused! It feels like oa, acts like oa and often gets locked over on its side. I have the same in both ankles.

Suggestions please I'm confused.


tcold

dreamdaisy

When was your OA diagnosed and have you ever been tested for auto-immune arthritis? I see no reason why it shouldn't be OA affecting your ankles; I don't think Xrays are detailed enough to show early onset but if it feels like it and behaves like it I see no reason why it isn't. Blasted nuisance though, isn't it? DD

stickywicket

Oddly enough I was thinking on the same lines as DD ie could it all be autoimmune. But I had a look on ARUK and was quite surprised to learn this:

"X-rays will show any damage caused to your joints by the inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. The changes often show up in x-rays of your feet before they appear in other joints, so your doctor may want to x-ray your feet even if they're not causing you any problems."

www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/...arthritis/diagnosis.aspx

But:

"X-rays are the most useful test to confirm osteoarthritis, although you probably won’t need one. They may show changes such as bony spurs or narrowing of the space between your bones. They’ll also show whether any calcium has settled in your joint.

X-rays can’t really show how much pain or disability osteoarthritis is likely to cause. Some people have a lot of pain from fairly minor joint damage, while others have little pain from more severe damage."

https://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/osteoarthritis/diagnosis.aspx

When my ankles were unstable ie before they fused themselves, I used sometimes to wear an ankle support to try to ensure they didn't give way. They do help for short periods.