Managing Pain

Stelle71

Hello all

I am now 7 years on from my first diagnosis of osteoarthritis in my knee, I am waiting for a second X-ray next week to establish how the condition has progressed. The swelling and pain is now almost unbearable. I would love to know how others manage their pain. Thank you

Estelle

HelenS

Hi @Stelle71

Thank you for posting on the online community, hopefully you will get help and advice from our members

You had a diagnosis 7 years ago of osteoarthritis in your knee and are experiencing lots of pain.

There are things you can do that can make a difference to how the condition affects you. There are also some treatments available that could significantly reduce your pain, exercise is one of the most important things you can do, as it’s very important to keep moving if you have osteoarthritis of the knee. Whatever your fitness level, exercise helps the knee to be able to cope with normal daily activities again.

Another treatment that a lot of people find helps with osteoarthritis of the knee is using capsaicin cream. It is taken from chilli peppers and it works mainly by reducing Substance P, which is a pain transmitter in your nerves. In trials it scored 5 out of 5 for effectiveness.

I've included the following links where you can find out more.

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

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/capsaicin/

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on

Take care Helen