Living with pain

davechurchspain

Hola All, I live in Spain, & have been suffering with osteoarthritis for 6 years or so.

I have had 2 hip replacements, one performed in UK, & the other in Spain. Sadly, the hip replacement performed in Spain, left me with a blood clot, & now I have to take sintrom for the rest of my life to stop blood clots forming. Now I need a new knee cap, but have decided not to have another operation. Have tried synovial fluid injections which gave me a little relief for a few weeks, but at 170€ per session, is far too expensive. I have a lot of pain 24/7, but deal with it, without taking pain killers. Being an ex footballer, I am aware that this has contributed to my osteoarthritis, however, I train every other day for one hour, stretching my muscles & ligaments which keeps them in a reasonable condition. I can only walk short distances, & cannot stand for long periods.

Would be interested to hear from people who are experiencing the same conditions.

Dave.

Poppyjane

Hola @davechurchspain welcome to the online community

You have OA and have had two THR and need a new knee cap but have decided not to have the operation. As an ex footballer you keep yourself in reasonable condition through exercise on alternate days. You are hoping to link up with people with similar conditions.

There are many ways to deal with pain and you are dealing with your pain without medication at present. I attach some links which you might find useful

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/knee-pain/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2022/march/what-are-the-links-between-sport-exercise-and-osteoarthritis/

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

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/58337/helpful-books

I have also found a thread that you might find interesting and amusing. So after ploughing your way through all of the above I hope you will have some responses from our members and will continue to post, maybe share some of your exercises with us.

Take care

Poppyjane

Mike413

Hello Dave,

I was interested to read your of your condition. I have severe osteoarthritis in both hips for about 6 years which had gradually worsen. It now gives me severe pain. Apart from paracetamol I take no medication, the doctor having taken me off Ibruprophen due to a stomach reaction to it. The docrors are reluctant to refer me for surgery telling me exercise is best. Like you I have played various sports all my life. Currently I do strength exercises three times a week as set by a physio and a daily stretch of joints and muscles. I can do short periods of action followed by rest periods. If I stand to long my hip joints and muscles stiffen up making it difficult to get started again. Through experimenting I am finding that movement is the best way of deal with the condition. I walk short distances at a slow pace and household work that includes bending and stretching. Anything that moves the joints. Keeping the active short seems to work best for me. If I overdo a task I suffer badly the next day, example car cleaning of gardening. I try to to get positive but its not easy and treat the arthritis as my friend and not the enemy. Mentally that helps me.

You have my sympathise as a fellow sufferer. Take care.

Mike Johnson.

raggleroo

@Mike413 thank you I’ve found your advice very helpful. I have AO in both hips and it’s considerably worse. Great practical information which I need to do for better self management, so thanks 😊