Hello there!

kevpo

Joined a few days ago, finally found the time to explore the Versus Arthritis website. I have osteoarthritis that I try to manage with alternative therapies rather than go down the cortisone, knee replacement, and prescription painkillers. Would love to hear other sufferers ideas and suggestions on this.

chrisb

Hi @kevpo  

Welcome to the versus arthritis forum. 

You suffer with arthritis in your knee(s) and manage the discomfort using alternative therapies. You’d like to hear from any forum members who have taken a similar approach and any ideas they may be able to share. 

You mention that you’ve explored our website but just in case here are a couple of a links that may be of interest:

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

 

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/exercises-for-the-knees/

 

I hope that you receive some useful feedback. 

Best Wishes

ChrisB (Moderator)

jonr

Hi @kevpo and welcome to the Forum, hope you find it a safe and helpful place to be.

I use a lot of supplements and alternative therapies to manage my OA which is in my knees. Happy to share what I've found to work for me (and others) through experimentation and trial and error.

Whereabout is your OA?

Best Wishes,

Jon

kevpo

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the comment. My OA is mostly in my knees, hands and lower back. I have found a few things that seem to manage the flare-ups and inflammation, but always open to fresh ideas and other perspectives. The supplements I am currently taking are Niacinamide 500 mg, Vitamin K2, Co-enzyme Q10, 300mg, and more recently Natokinase. These, I think have halved my cholesterol level and triglycerides, which were both extremely high, by almost 50 percent, as evidenced by a recent blood test. Also, for several months I have been using Lymphatic drainage massage techniques on myself that I am convinced have helped tremendously.

Would love to have your input and thoughts Jon, and any other suggestions.

All the best

Kevin

jonr

That's very interesting @kevpo because I take a bunch of supplements to aid my general well-being too and they're largely targeted at doing the same sort of job as yours. I'll look 'em up on the web ta!

Are you taking or looking at anything to help manage inflammation and pain?

I use a variety of supplements, gels/creams, aids, dietary items and Acupuncture, the latter being a total game-changer and despite needing 2 total knee replacements I'm leading a very active life with minimal pain now though it's taken many, many months of experimentation and trial and error. Some I've tried have done nothing, others have made my symptoms worse. It's a fascinating area and there's some good info on this website about the various ways of managing our conditions. I've found that it's important to nail good pain management in order to have a decent quality of life as well as being able to do the physio and exercise necessary to build strength in the tissues and tendons surrounding affected joints.

Very interested to hear about your dabblings in these areas.

Jon

kevpo

Hi Jon, do you take Glucosamine and Chondroitin as part of your supplements? Have thought about trying myself, but unsure how effective they are. There is so much hype with all of these products, and as you say, you need to experiment and find what works for yourself. My worst pain and discomfort is during the night, and I have found the Slumbar pillow between my knee area is really effective. Absolutely agree with nailing good pain management. Have a Tens machine that masks a bit of the pain for a while, but prefer my hand held massage gun, that's quite effective. Definitely the exercise helps too. At almost 72 years of age, and a lifetime of martial arts and weightlifting, I have to accept that I need to be a bit more sensible in my exercise regime. I try to do about 15,000 steps each day, some stretching and resistance band work most mornings, and ten minutes on my rebounder 3 or 4 times a week. That is great for getting the lymphatic system going, and coupled with the drainage massage I do a couple of times a day (it only takes 7-8 minutes), I believe it has really been effective in reducing the inflammation around the problem joints.

Would appreciate your thoughts on your pain management.