Osteoarthritis

Lynne123

Since goggling OA on my laptop, Facebook is coming up with all types of remedies. Of course they are all quite expensive as you can imagine but I am willing to try them if there were any chance that they might work. Has anyone out there tried and tested any of the recommendations, I am desperate to find something that will work. I have tried just about everything all types of NSAID'S, paraceamol, volterol gel, Neurofen gel, nothing stops the pain.

Alan

Vinnymon

Personally I would ask your Doc for a stronger prescription only pain killer for the bad days. Other than that it’s mainly heat and exercise in my experience.

I tried CBD balm and didn’t find it helpful. I totally understand the desire to find a magic solution and maybe there’s something out there but I haven’t found it!

Definitely talk to Doctor and be determined.

Nurina

Be careful with fake ads on Facebook because there are too many scam lately. Products like Arthrelief, Arthriheal, Synovia that claim to cure Arthritis are a scam targeting people desperate to find a solution to get rid of their pain. Unfortunately, if there were a miraculous treatment I'd be available in hospitals, not in a FB page. Take care

jonr

At the end of the day there's no cure for Arthritis, mainly because cartilage has no blood supply so can't regrow, though there are treatments which can help protect it from degrading further. These are mainly in the form of injections and available privately but anybody who claims they can cure is promoting snake oil.

There is a lot of information on this website about pain management you can read up on. These fall into GP prescribed meds (of which there aren't many), supplements (loads available, usually anti-inflammatory and being classed as foodstuffs means there's no regulation governing how they are promoted and what manufacturers can claim), pain management aids such as TENS machines, topical creams and gels and alternative therapies.

It's a minefield and generally a case of trial and error but for me, it was the exercise, physio and weight training to strengthen the areas around my knees which had the biggest impact on pain so that's what I would recommend but it takes persistence and time - many months in my case before I noticed a discernable difference.

Hope this helps,

Jon

veryaraf

Referring to cartilage, mine is non existent and I creak like an old piece of wooden furniture. So my latest trial is adding collagen to my supplements. So I wondered if anyone has personal info of any effects from taking tablets.

jonr

@veryaraf! There are different types of Collagen, you'll want Type 2 is the one you want as per this article:

https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/supplements-and-vitamins/can-collagen-supplements-help-arthritis

HOWEVER, as cartilage has no blood supply it can't regenerate so once it's gone it's gone. Supplements like Collagen, Glucosamine and Choindratin are designed to protect it and halt the advance of Arthritis so their efficacy is massively reduced for all but those with mild to moderate OA. Nonetheless, I tried it and after 3 weeks I found it made my symptoms worse - fever, itchiness, aching, throbbing and worse of all - tendon stabs and knee locks, possibly because I too am bone-on-bone in both knees.

If it's relief from crunching and grinding you're after, you might want to give FlexiSeq gel a stab, available from behind the counter in good pharmacists, it's not cheap and a bit fiddly to apply but I found it reduced my own creakiness considerably.

veryaraf

Thanks for your reply. I have done research and know about type 2. I have used FlexiseQ. It works best for me on my hands. Will keep experimenting and clutching at straws.

Anna

Hi Alan @Lynne123 and @veryaraf

I see that members have already given you some useful information- here’s a link to the Versus Arthritis website where complementary and alternative treatments are discussed. I hope you find it useful.

https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/

Best wishes,

Anna ( Moderator)

veryaraf

Thank you. I have a box of supplements I take everyday. I rub supposed painkillers on at night but get minimal relief. Also take cocodamol at night. I have other health problems which don’t help and have avoided knives and needles.

Mind you not sure, at over 80, I want or need to survive too long. Just that gp’s only supply injections and pain killers which don’t work and create other issues which need more nasty pills.Thanks again.

swimmer60

@veryaraf

Worth a read.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/natural-remedies-for-arthritis#Herbal-remedies