Slow degeneration

Jacqui1972

An X-ray showed OA in 1 hip 7 years ago. Last year started peri-menopause and ligaments in hips and knees got very stiff, I could barely get out of a chair or lift my knees to go upstairs. My right knee sounds like there's gravel in it. Physio gave exercises to strengthen hip flexors and work on rotation. I think sugar is my issue as stiffness is worse after a chocolate or boose. So I cut back but no change. I'm 1 week in to avoiding glucose spikes with very low sugar/flour/alcohol as per Glucose Goddess which I think has given the ligaments back some of their spring. But could just be the Naproxen. I'm trying to loose weight as I read that fat produces a protein that damages ligaments/cartridge. I'm doing weights/resistance but now my hip is aching. I read weight bearing and impact forces regeneration of bone but also the strain of carrying extra weight can cause OA. I'm worried I'm causing more damage but want to be stronger to support the joints. What's best weight bearing or not? Thanks.

noddingtonpete

Hello @Jacqui1972 and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

I understand that you have osteoarthritis in your hip and have been trying diet and exercise to help with your mobility. Sorry but I have to ask - have you asked your GP or a Physio about what is best exercise for you? If not I would recommend it. In the meantime have a look at the following from our website which might help.

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

and

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/november/ways-to-help-manage-hip-pain/

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on.

With best wishes

Peter (moderator)

Jacqui1972

Thank you for the links.

My Dr gave me HRT but said aches are to be expected as we age and offered no other support for the hip and knees. The nurse told me to stop riding my bike if it hurt my knees. The physio advised body weight squats and lunges which I just wasn't cable of at the time.

Naproxen works really well for me at loosening the ligaments so I can now do squats and lunges and they get easier as the hardening seems to breakdown the more I do in a session.

I have spent a fortune on supplements but always feel ripped off as I read there is not enough research to know if they actually do anything. I have a draw full so I will get back on the the multi vits, glucosamine, fish oil and coligen.

Thanks again for your support.

jonr

Hi @Jacqui1972

I think you've described a very common scenario for a lot of people which is they know that exercise and physio is not only important for building strength in the tissues and tendons which surround affected joints and keeping fit but to do so can be very painful.

If you're new to this then my recommendation would be to build up by degrees, it can take months for any discernable benefits, well it did for me but the more you do, the stronger you get and the less painful it will be if done daily. Little and often is my recipe. Of course, the more you do, the better your chances of losing weight and keeping it off.

Effective pain management is really key for this: prescribed meds aren't really enough on their own with many sufferers turning to supplements, aids like TENS machines and alternative therapies like Ti Chi and Acupuncture. There's a lot of info on this website about them, well worth a read.

You mention stiffness and grinding. I use a deep tissue massaging gun on my stiff knees of a morning, helps to loosen up muscles and tendons at the back of my knees and after a gym workout. FlexiSeq gel applied to the side and backs of my knees help lubricate and reduce the crunching.

Have you heard of the GP-referred exercise programme? It's for people who want to get fit after illness or to lose weight etc. It's government sponsored and Arthritis is covered. Your GP should refer you to your local sports centre where you'll get a 1:1 assessment and recommended a tailor-made set of exercises to do. The gym has good equipment which can be used to target strengthening specific areas such as knees and hips. You'll also get a discount off membership too. To answer your question - yes, weight-bearing is good.

Hope these help and good luck

jon

Jacqui1972

Thank you for the info Jon.