Freshly diagnosed

Farris

Hi folks,

I’ve just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, mainly in the hips but I first noticed it in the knees. After a brief examination my doctor told me to lose weight and take anti-inflammatory (AF) drugs.

I’ve got many questions and didn’t even get a leaflet or web link to explain things.

Hence, I’m here seeing if anyone out there can maybe point me in the right direction on a few things. I have to be honest I’m actually terrified about what all this means.

To explain…

I used to run. In the back end of last summer I was finding it took longer and longer to recover from my exercise. Thinking back the symptoms probably started a lot earlier than I realised.

I’ve always struggled with my weight (which has ballooned since I stopped running) and I found that running was the best way I’d found to help control this. Plus I found it helped with my mental wellbeing. I wouldn’t claim to have a mental illness, but I’ve found certain coping mechanisms help me get by in that regard without needing to consult a doctor or resort to medication.

After waiting for my knees to get better it was clear that things weren’t changing. Sometimes it didn’t feel so bad and then it seemed worse. Wishful thinking and maybe a little denial led me to leave it this long to consult a doctor, which may have been a mistake.

The advice was to take AFs before or after exercise, but that running was no longer an option. I couldn’t do high impact exercise anymore.


The questions I’d been left with are as follows:

1. I’ve read there are many types within osteoarthritis, which type have I got?
2. Is aspirin a suitable AF? I’d had neurofen mentioned to me but I heard that aspirin might be better for inflammation.
3. Are there any dietary considerations for the condition? Foods that will aggravate and what not.
4. Will running actually make the condition worse? Is it just that it’s likely to hurt or will it actually cause damage/ more arthritis.
5. How much difference does losing weight have? Is it about preventing acceleration of the symptoms, or will it alleviate the pain? I worry that losing weight is a cliché that won’t actually achieve much of anything.
6. Are there any other beneficial remedies? I’d heard that CPD oil is supposed to reduce inflammation.

I don’t expect any answers, but if there is any good sources that I might be able to go to for information that’d be really helpful.

Thanks,

F

[Deleted User]

Hi Farris,

It’s lovely to meet you, welcome to the forum, do look around as I’m sure you will find some threads you will be inspired to reply to.

A new diagnosis of osteoarthritis is a frightening thing, you are not alone there. Well done for listing your questions - do that when you visit your GP too, it’s terrible when you actually get an appointment if you forget to ask the important questions.

I can help you start off, here’s a booklet about osteoarthritis

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/

It’s quite comprehensive and might suggest further questions to ask your doctor.

There are lots of anti-inflammatory meds - most common is paracetamol. Some can affect your stomach with long term use, so taking a 'stomach protector' like omeparazole can be important.

Diet is important anyway to keep ourselves healthy so continue with that. Weight loss, one of my conditions is osteoarthritis and I was overweight, after diagnosis etc, I found I was putting on about a stone a year. Anyway, I needed surgery and was told to keep my bmi below 35, it was 34! So while I was on the waiting list I lost 3 stones and I have to admit it has made a great difference to me. My unoperated knee is much happier, range of movement, weakness, feeling it was giving way all improved. I can now ride my bike, on the flat and not far but I couldn’t before. I did do lots of knee exercises at the same time on both knees.

I went to nhs physio for exercises and advice, if you can’t self refer ask your gp for a referral. When you are ready there are exercises on the www.versusarthritis.org website

Do let us know how you are doing and ask any questions at all

Take care

Yvonne x

stickywicket

Hi,

I'm sorry you've had to join our creaky gang but be assured there is life after diagnosis. I've had RA for nearly 60 ears and OA for most of that time and life is still good

To look at your questions:

1. I’ve read there are many types within osteoarthritis, which type have I got?
I think you've maybe misunderstood a little. I believe there's only one 'type' of OA but loads of types of inflammatory / autoimmune arthritis. If you have OA it's a bit less complicated.

2. Is aspirin a suitable AF? I’d had neurofen mentioned to me but I heard that aspirin might be better for inflammation.
Low dose aspirin isn't normally considered to be an anti-inflammatory but both aspirin and anti-inflamms should be taken under medical supervision f used regularly. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nsaids/ Paracetamol (sorry, Yvonne ) is not an anti-inflamm but a simple 'painkiller'. As Yvonne says, using anti-inflamms regularly also requires a stomach-protecting med.

3. Are there any dietary considerations for the condition? Foods that will aggravate and what not.
Basically, no. A healthy, Mediterranean-type diet is what's recommended. Various people feel various foods make things worse for them but it's all just anecdotal.

4. Will running actually make the condition worse? Is it just that it’s likely to hurt or will it actually cause damage/ more arthritis.

I think if you shop around you might find a GP who would say running is OK but they are very few and far between and it's not the usual advice. We've had dedicated runners on here who swore they couldn't give it up but I think they've had to in the end. Cycling and swimming, however, are great forms of exercise for arthritic knees.

5. How much difference does losing weight have? Is it about preventing acceleration of the symptoms, or will it alleviate the pain? I worry that losing weight is a cliché that won’t actually achieve much of anything.
I think Yvonne's given you the comprehensive answer to that.

6. Are there any other beneficial remedies? I’d heard that CPD oil is supposed to reduce inflammation.
Loads of people are now coming on here and asking about CBD oil. For a start it's an unregulated industry so you might be getting the dodgy stuff. For my money, none of these things work. If they did we wouldn't be here but, if you have money to spend on it, have a go if you wish. But first check with your GP or local pharmacist that it won't interact with anything else, prescribed or over the counter, that you're taking.

Farris

Thank you both so much for the reply.

Yvonne,

That link was really helpful. I was drowning in information and just didn't know where to start. That was so great.

In particular, the part '...for most people, osteoarthritis doesn’t continue to get steadily worse over time,' really had me sighing in relief. Not that this is a guarantee that it won't get worse, but there is typically less ferocious outcome to OA.

Your insight into the weight was really helpful as well. I've a lot of weight to lose since I abandoned running so that gives me something to focus on. I'll just have to restructure my exercise approach and expectations.

Sickywicket,

Thank you for the response to my questions that really helped with some immediate thoughts I'd had. They were all really useful but in particular the diet thing was sending me in circles. I'd read articles that said peppers and tomatoes were likely to make it worse and others that said this was a myth. It's good to know that this is all up in the air and down to individual experience.

On the CPD subject, that's something that I'm very much tacitly aware of as a supposed anti-inflammatory. It seems to be advertised everywhere. I did a few searches for the stuff on amazon of all places, and the reviews were enough to put me off. The unregulated nature of it makes me think that it’s probably snake oil.

Thank you both again so much for response. I’m a lot calmer about the diagnosis now which has really helped.

Probably the best creaky gang in the world.

Farris (I’ve developed a bad habit over the years of distrusting the internet and as such I never use my real name in usernames – it’s actually Paul).

[Deleted User]

Hi Farris,

Glad to be able to help, especially as I’d thought as you did re diet, though I think it has to be enough weight loss to make a difference, if you see what I mean. Add that to the exercises, and I still do them, and you will see results.

Sorry about misleading you re paracetamol, thank goodness I’ve got friends along like Sticky to keep me going!

Take care
Yvonne x

dreamdaisy

Hello, I am one of the lucky ones with a creaky foot in both camps, I began with an auto-immune arthritis which in turn led to osteoarthritis. My auto-immune is playing up so I will be brief.

I have found they are very different to experience: the auto-immune arthritis is caused by an over-active immune system, the osteo is attributable to joint damage caused by living life. The auto-immune kinds require medication to suppress disease activity, the osteo requires pain relief and maybe an anti-inflammatory medication. Both require exercise of the right kind to help keep the muscles surrounding the affected joints as strong and flexible as possible to better support the joint. If referred to a physiotherapist then the exercises they give have to be done for the rest of one's days - they are not a cure. The inflammation caused by an auto-immune affects the whole body, that by osteo is localised. I cannot predict the ups and downs (or, to be more honest, the downs and downs) of my auto-immune but I know the OA will be worse in the cold and damp, if I over do things and if I eat too much acidic food. For me both require rest, rest does improve the OA in that it reduces the pain to more tolerable levels but with the auto-immune I can sleep for England and not feel any better.

Of the two I prefer the OA because it is more honest in how it presents. The main trouble with it, however, is it is so common that it is not necessarily taken seriously by those who don't have it and those who deal with it are very limited in the options they can offer. If one is fortunate enough to have it in the right joints (and not too many of them) then surgery can provide a good answer but it takes years to reach the point where that can become an option. DD