Pain from nerves

Grandmar

HI. I wonder if you can help me. I can hardly walk today, not because of joint pain but from the nerves which seem to be stopping me walking and my leg keeps giving way.

Should I try and walk through it, or rest it? I have a busy day tomorrow and I won't be able to do anything with this problem.

Help please

Thanks. Grandmar

Mike1

That is an awkward question as everyone is different. I frequently get pain like that in my arms and legs, what I try to do if my OA allows it is to stretch the joints as far as I can in the hope that it eases the pain. I cannot say that it has been terribly successful in my arm but it does help my legs occasionally. I lie on the floor flat on my back and then try to put one straight leg over the other; I also bend my knees and twist both of them from side to side. Obviously if it hurts I stop and then have fun trying to drag myself off the floor!

Ellen

Just a quick thought @Grandmar

Do you have any walking aids to support you if you feel your leg might give way?

The last thing you want is to fall. You can self-refer in many areas these days to a physiotherapist for advice on walking aids.

Best wishes

Ellen.

Lilymary

It may be worth self referring to a physio to assess why you have this nerve pain, as they may be able to give you exercises to alleviate it.

helpline_team

Hi @Grandmar, thanks for getting in touch. I’m sorry to hear you are having problems with nerve pain in your legs.

We would advise a call to your GP or specialist, if you have one, might be the best place to start. Being unsure of what arthritis you have makes it difficult to comment on whether you should be exercising or not.  

You may also find it useful to call our free Helpline on 0800 520 0520. We are open 9 – 6 Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). We are a friendly team who offer a safe space for you to ask questions relating to your arthritis.

I hope you managed to get out and about as planned today.

Best wishes,

Helpline Advisor

Gillian

Grandmar

Hi Gillian. Thank you for your advice. I haven't had much help from GP but I do have physio/exercises which I do every day. I have osteo arthritis in my right hip. Today I have rested and taken ibuprofen and I've made it through the day! Resting again now. Thanks again. Grandmar

RogerBill

Hi @Grandmar Sorry I've only just seen your post.

Six months ago I had pains in my left thigh and it felt like the leg was giving way when walking. Before this I used to enjoy regular eight mile walks whereas now I can only manage about ten minutes and bending for any length of time is painful. Like you I wondered whether it'd be possible to walk through it but generally I found it just made it worse. But I do have occasional good days where walking a bit further is possible but I can't tell in advance whether a day will be good or bad.

I was convinced it was a muscle or ligament problem. I self referred myself to Dynamichealth (a physio service funded by the NHS). By checking hip movements they diagnosed osteoarthritis arthritis. There are details of such tests online and if, like me, you have one good and one bad hip you might at least be able to get an indication by checking yourself to see if the problem is with the hip joint or something else.

For three months I worked hard at the exercises they gave me and I returned to them for fortnightly physio sessions. Unlike walking I found I could most of the exercises without much trouble. But although the physiotherapists were very good my pains and walking didn't improve so they referred me for an x-ray which confirmed I've got severe osteoarthritis for which I'm having a hip replacement operation in a few weeks time.

Like you I find it helps to rest before having something important to do. For me paracetamol seems better than ibuprofen and that it's better to take it before the pain kicks in.

Also as suggested above, I use a walking stick to help combat the wobbles and for support.