Balancing keeping moving and pain

ETC

Hi from a newbie to the forum👋

I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in my left knee 6 years ago, although there were certain things I couldn’t do I managed to keep up with exercise classes a couple of times a week (I used to love Zumba) and regular walks, easing off on these a bit if I had a flare up. I had occasional twinges in my right knee and knew that one day I’d probably have arthritis in that one too, however I was not prepared for how quickly this would escalate compared to my previous experience. Last summer I knocked my right knee quiet badly which I think resulted in the rapid progress of arthritis there. By October I was in constant pain, and x-Ray confirmed I now have stage 4 arthritis in both knees. I had my first hydrocortisone injections yesterday and I’m hoping they’ll help me to at least go for longer 30 minute walks soon as I want to improve my mobility and loose a bit of weight. My question is how do I know how far to push myself, if I’m in pain or my joints are stiffening up while I’m walking, should I just push through it?

Tom

Welcome to the forum, @ETC.

I see that you are 6 years post a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis in the left knee. Following an accident in the summer and now have stage 4 OA in both knees. You are looking for advice on exercise, how much to do and how to assess your progress.

This is a link to Exercise with OA from our website:

 

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/your-experiences/hints-and-tips/exercise-hints-and-tips/

 This link will give you advice on how to assess the effect of exercise on your pain level:

 

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/september/ask-the-expert-i-have-arthritis-should-i-exercise/

 

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Tom, Moderator.