Diagnosed with mild osteoarthritis but it's severely affecting my life.

missXvamp

So I was literally just diagnosed. I have it in my knee. I am already obese and had trouble walking and then I got knee pain quite suddenly following a fall on my knee. At first I had no feelings in my knee and it was like numb but then the feeling gradually came back and all of a sudden it just got so so bad and now I have limited mobility because it hurts ao much on my knee when I have to walk or even stand. I'm going to ring my docs right now for a appointment. Basically I don't know what to do. Google is telling me their is no treatment for mild osteoarthritis. I'm already on high pain medication as it is which doesn't help much if at all. I was hoping to get steroid injections because I had read that they can really help. But now I'm worried doc will turn me away because it's mild. What shall I do? Where do I go from here?

chrisb

Hi @missXvamp  

Welcome to the versus arthritis forum. 

You are recently diagnosed with OA in your knee which is causing limited mobility and pain. You are taking medication but it’s not helping so you’re going back to the doctors for further advice. You’re worried what the next steps should be. 

Well, you’ve come to the right place to share your situation and to seek input from forum members many of whom will have been through a similar journey. 

Whilst you await some feedback, if you haven’t already visited our website, you’ll find that it contains a huge amount of information that should be of help to you. Here are a couple of examples:

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

 

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2020/november/ask-the-expert-newly-diagnosed-with-arthritis/

 

I hope you find joining the forum beneficial and that your doctor is able to help you better manage the pain. 

Best Wishes

ChrisB (Moderator)

jonr

Welcome to the community MissXvamp,

Arthritis is a condition which affects people in so many idfferent ways and the thing is that many health professionals look at XRays and MRI scans and make an assessment of a sufferer's condition which may be medically correct but doesn't necessarily equate to how much pain and discomfort the patient feels.

Unfortunately, a lot of managing your condition will be up to you. GPs can only really prescribe anti-inflammatories and painkillers in most cases and refer you for an assessment by their on-site Physio, so swotting up on the resources on this website is going to educate as well as save a lot of time.

There are broadly 3 areas to focus on. The first is pain management (either prescribed painkillers and AI's, health food supplements,gels/creams and gadgets such as TENS machines, deep tissue massaging guns and knee supports). Get your pain under control and then you can look at physio and exercise. The aim here is not only to keep active, healthy and fit but crucially help to build up strength around the weakened joint. Third and last is diet. Some foods such as Salmon, Mackerel and Walnuts are rich in Omega 3 and naturally anti-inflammatory. Dark leafed vegetables are also a good source of nutrients. Combined with the physio and exercise these can help with weight loss which will take the strain off the knees and ankles.

What exercise though? Well I have severe osteo-arthritis in both knees and they need replacing. Walking is the obvious one but I go to the gym regularly and walk on the treadmill (at different speeds and gradients), use a static bike, stairs machine (which is surprisingly hardcore) and a skiing machine. These are all low-impact so won't cause any more damage. Swimming's good as well and many people swear by Pilates and Yoga.

I was diagnosed last Summer and once the shock had set in I saw it as an opportunity to change my life for the better which I have set about doing and I wish I'd done the things I'm doing now years ago.

All the best,

Jon