Muscle pain

fangio

Hello everybody!
My first ever post on a forum of any kind old dinosaur that I am! I am a chumpy 59 year old chap from West Sussex and last year spent a day manning a stand at a food fair. Lots of standing still and noticing that my legs were really uncomfortable. Thinking it was just age I passed it off but two months later I was at the docs. 'Why do my hips and legs hurt so much?' He declared it could be OS and by Christmas it had passed a bit only to really flare up around feb. Another visit and this time x rays and conformation of OS in both hips and knees. On the Christmas visit to the Doctor he raised an eye at my weight (19.4 st...I know Iknow) I made a promise to him and my wife and started Slimming world on Jan 15th. I am now 3 stone lighter with another two and a half to go but ouch, I am a limpy old Hector at the moment as the poor old rugby/football?cricket and weight mauled joints wreak their revenge!
Question to anyone far more informed than me, most of my pain seems to occur on the large muscle directly above the knees! I can feel and understand the discomfort in the joints but any thoughts or similarities out there?
Thanks for your time and happy to be here,
Fangio

[Deleted User]

Hello

Welcome to the Versus Arthritis forum. The members on here are friendly, they will offer you support, advice, will empathise with you and will give you tips that they have found helpful.

At the top of this page you will see buttons which will, when pressed, lead you to all the various subjects Versus Arthritis covers. There is a freephone helpline on 0800 520 0520 if you would like to talk to someone about any worries or concerns you have. But please understand no one on this forum is medically trained so will be unable to answer any medical questions.

I am one of the moderation team and we all have one or more of the Arthritis "hanger ons" or look after family members with the same.

I look forward to seeing you on the forum again and reading your
future posts.

Best wishes
ChrisK

dreamdaisy

Hello, I am assuming that when you typed OS you meant OA:. I have that in my knees, hips and ankles and elsewhere but not thanks to an active life, it's the gift of my other arthritis, psoriatic, which is one of the many auto-immune kinds. I began aged 37 and am now 60.

Sports people increase the risk of developing OA in later life due to the unnatural stresses and strains they place upon their joints. MInd you, Andy Murray's done it in younger life despite all his care and precautions. OA is the most common form of the condition, the majority of the ten million arthritics in the UK have OA. I guess that your muscles are hurting because you are standing and moving differently - we all do it - in order to reduce the pain in the joints. It doesn't work.

Congratulations on losing the weight, that won't ease the pain but it will slow further damage (any form of arthritis is progressive and degenerating). Has your GP recommended any pain relief or referred you to physiotherapy? That is about the limit of what they can do. DD

stickywicket

Hello Fangio and welcome from another dinosaur I've only ever done this forum and I've no desire to join more.

First of all, congratulations on the terrific weight loss. I know we've had a few people on here who have had success with Slimming World but it must take a great deal of effort and dedication so well done you!

Frankly, as a cricket fanatic who married a sports fanatic and gave birth to two more (and now they're the parents of more) I'd say it's a good way to mess up joints We can, of course, push things too far. My 48yr old son has finally decided that it was just taking him too long to get fit for the season (He's a bowler) so he now helps with his son's baseball instead. My 76 yr old husband has been noticing pain in his hips for a few years now but it hasn't slowed him down. When the doc saw his x-ray he was amazed he could still play golf every week plus gardening and long walks. I think by keeping his muscles strong, the hips have been protected.

No such luck for me. I've had RA since I was 15. I attribute the fact that I can still walk (a bit ) at 73 to all the exercises I've done. (Plus a few joint replacements ) If you've not been referred for physio it could really help for you to get an appointment. A physio would be able to tell you why your pain is mostly above the knees. Like DD, I'd guess it was something to do with 'misused' muscles but I'm no medic. If you don't want to wait for a physio appointment, there are some exercises here which might help https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/#Exercises-to-manage-knee-pain

and

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hip-pain/#Exercises-for-hip-pain

I hope this is of some help but do get back to us if you've other questions. And good luck!

JoeB

This could be due to overcompensating or possibly even referred pain. You may benefit from a physiotherapist's assessment.

Arthur

frogmorton

Welcome to the forum from me too

A dinosaur at 59 - never!! Just a baby

I am thinking maybe the muscle is trying to protect that knee joint? Have you had a physiotherapy at all?

Toni x