Stairs!

Hel

Hi everyone. I am new to writing on this forum & it has taken me a while of dipping in & out, to write something, so be gentle with me please!!

my first discussion (hopefully) is about the dreaded stairs!

in the summer when the weather is warm & mostly dry, I am able to walk up & down the stairs quite well. A bit of aching but that’s ok. The minute the damp, wet & grey weather comes I am reduced to gripping the handrail & putting my other hand on each stair as I very slowly negotiate upwards. Coming down I have to go sideways with both knees heading the same way & I feel like I have aged forty years then.

im sure you all have many of the same problems as I do, too many to list but the stairs are the worst thing. Even my toilet is against me as it’s upstairs.

yes we could move into a bungalow, but the prices are so high now & we can’t really afford to move.

what do others do in this situation? I’ve been thinking of leaving a ‘reward’ half way up !!!

Brynmor

Hi @Hel

Stairs are a perennial problem for lots of people that struggle with getting up and down them. I did a search of the Community on this subject:

@ROBCON has 3 flights of stairs: https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/53354/first-time-having-steroid-injections

@Simon finds stairs very awkward https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/53106/oa-in-knees

@daylily is having trouble going up and down stairs, and walking is getting increasingly difficult https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/52907/pain-in-whole-of-leg

These were just some of the notable ones I found.

To help negotiate stairs, many people have found that knee exercises are really good at keeping the joint flexible and help in strengthening stair-climbing muscles:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/exercises-for-the-knees/

You may also like to take a look at Let's Move with Leon. You can find out more about this and join in our dedicated Category Let's Move here:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/52879/join-the-lets-move-exercise-programme

Please join in across the community and do let us know how you get on.

All best wishes

Brynmor

Angelica

Hi Hel, I feel your pain. I’ve had osteoarthritis for a while but at Christmas took a massive down turn with terrible pain. My mobility is so poor suddenly and as for stairs 😔😔😔 I have resorted to coming down backwards and hands and knees if needed. I’m lucky that I have downstairs wc. Oh for a magic wand!

Mike1

If you contact the Adult Social Care Department of your County Council they may be able to arrange a visit to assess your needs, if they consider that you need a stair lift they may be able to help financially but this will depend on a means test. Worth a try. If you or a partner are ex-forces you may be able to get some help from one of their charities.

Hel

Hi again, my knees don’t give me many problems to be honest, it’s my thighs & down my shins. I also have fibromyalgia which is a lot of the problem. I have had two ops & two lots of steroids injected round my thumbs. They pulled the thumbs out & injected eight times round each. It took several weeks until I was better but didn’t work. My shoulder op did work but after three years it is not good again, both shoulders, elbows, wrists & fingers are bad & very knobbly fingers that stick down. However, as I said, I am much better when it’s warm. Roll on spring!

I have thought of a chair lift but our stairs are very narrow & steep so not suitable. Also silly though it is I feel as I’m still only in my fifties, it’s like giving in to it. Does that make sense?

Angelica, I’m so sorry, you’re right, we do need a magic wand.

Mike, thanks for that but as I say, I don’t feel ready yet.

what I’d really like is a local group where I. Could meet people in the same position.

ive looked but there are none nearby me in Caernarfon area either arthritis or fibromyalgia groups.

Thanks everyone