Diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in the knee

kevserm

Hi, New here.First post.Im 62 and have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in my right knee.14 yrs ago i had key whole surgery on my right knee to repair my cartlidge.Last time i had mri scan and saw a knee specialist.This time i had exray and have seen a physio.Benn told NHS will not operate. Constantly get sharp pains thru my knee and stiffness of joint.A lot of pain during the night.I am taking collegen 2 tablets as my choice.Any advice from anyone regards to medicine to help fight the pain.Awaiting possibility of injection but its at least 3 month waiting list.

Naomi33

Hello @kevserm 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 are suffering and looking for advice on how to manage Osteoarthritis.

I am sure that others will connect with you to share their support, but in the meantime have a look at the following from our website.

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

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure others will connect with you soon.

With best wishes

@Naomi33

Fran54

Hi @kevserm

I sympathise with you as I too have Osteoarthritis in my right knee and understand how the pain can be quite debilitating, especially at night.

I have actually had an appointment today with my MSK Consultant, who advised me of a night time to try putting some form of heat on the joint. My appt. was to have a steroid injection today which I had and I am hoping that this will relieve the aching/stiffness in my knee and shin area especially at night.

For the pain/stiffness I was given Naproxen and Omeprazole ( to help protect the stomach lining ). Initially told to take only when needed but now I take them most days as they help ease the pain/stiffness so I can do my Physio exercises.

It really is trial and error with medication. Perhaps you can have a word with your doctor regarding pain medication and see if he/she could try and get an earlier date to have a steroid injection.

I hope that you get some form of pain relief. Please let us know how you get on.

Take care🙂

jonr

Hi @kevserm and welcome from a fellow sufferer with 2 knackered knees.

As @Fran54 wrote, your GP should be able to prescribe an NSAID like Naproxen which will help with the inflammation. There are other natural supplements you can ingest to top this up, however I doubt whether they'll do much about the pain - you ought to notice a reduction in fever, itching, achiness, throbbing as side benefits.

For pain relief, if you want to avoid meds like Co-Codemol, my painkiller of choice is CBD which I take in capsule form. A TENS machine is also very good, providing instant relief which some sufferers say can last for several hours. I use a rub called FlexiSeq which is designed to reduce stiffness, crunching and grinding. Heat's good on stiffness too (a wheat bag, hot bath or shower).

I'd like to comment on the sharp pains you're getting. It may be down to the type 2 Collagen. I found with every supplement I took which was designed to help rebuild cartilage it caused that exact same symptom - sharp stabs, mainly from tendons and to the sides of the kneecaps. I'm not allergic to animal and fish extracts so perhaps there was a clash because I've zero cartilage left in my knees. I'm not saying the collagen is the cause but perhaps try staying off it for a week and see how you feel. Supplements are a bit hit and miss anyway so experimentation is the name of the game .

Hope these may help

jon