Flare ups

Lily_Mouse
Lily_Mouse Member Posts: 14
in Chat to our Helpline Team

Hi,

Please can you advise me. I have quite severe hip and lower back osteoarthritis....today I walked quite a way with my walking stick but as the day got on the pain got really bad. At the moment I can even put my foot down on the floor without being in excruciating pain, so I'm having to get around my flat on my bum. I am currently awaiting hip replacement surgery but my waiting time is around 3 months. I'm feeling really frightened that I may not be able to walk at all from now. Or could this just be a flare up and that a night's rest could ease? Do you have any advice on what I may be able to do help myself? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks very much.

Comments

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,713

    Hi@Lily_Mouse

    Sorry to hear that you are in a lot of pain today. There's no absolute reply when this kind of situation happens. You may want to be careful to avoid over doing your walking in the run up to surgery.

    What the orthopaedic surgeons are stressing is the value of 'pre-hab'. This means trying to keep up with moving in the run up to surgery, so your muscles don't weaken. But if you do more than your regular routine, that can risk a flare up.

    If you continue to feel discomfort after a few days, you may want to speak to a physiotherapist or a health care professional about ways to manage the pain.

    Managing your pain | Treatments and self-help (versusarthritis.org)

    Of course if you'd like a chat, do ring us on our freephone 0800 5200520

    all the best

    Guy - Helpline Team

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