tests/treatment for oA

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PowerOn
PowerOn Member Posts: 200
edited 13. Sep 2012, 08:28 in Chat to our Helpline Team archive
hi,
I went to my Doctor in 2007 and the report he sent to Chiropody is,

"This lady has many pains and normal blood etsts (take it thats his typo not a mystery medical word LOL) and presuably has a fibromyalgia type problem. However she also has oA of the first mtp- can you do something for this?"

Turned out 2 years later I was found to have a slight birth deformaity which had never been noticed (doctors telling me for years nothing wrong with me!) Rear Foot Varus which caused extra stress on my joints so I got oA.
Question is, is it usual for a doctor to say a person has oA in this way, he lifted my leg twisted it slightly to see how the knee moved and said from that he could tell I have oA, so are there tests for oA? I had pain in my knuckles for years and in other places which has got worse, the blood tests were to see what was wrong with my knuckles. Nothing in the blood tests.
I now have a lot of pain in my hips and ankle and so many other places, so are there tests for oA or do I ask for an x-ray of hips etc, and if I have oA is there treatment or painkillers or aids which can be useful to support the injured places (such as my right thumb joint when I am writting the joint grinds and hurts so much holding a pen can be painful and my writting woeful)
I also have spondylosis in my lower back and neck.
Managed to avoid painkillers by going to physio and being very careful what I do but am getting to the point of needing painkillers :-( my doctors are terrible are there specialists to ask to see for oA?
never kicked up a fuss and insisted on seeing a specialist but it's time I got sorted.
I think "fibromyalgia type pain" is a vague thing to write are there tests for it, I certainly have a lot of symptoms which point to Fibromyalgia.
Thank you for your time.
Best joke I ever read, "With that information and a diagnosis of spondylosis, your doctor can develop a treatment plan‏" or back in reality totally ignore you. Is ok I have a sense of humour and a boxing glove, not defeated yet.

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  • PowerOn
    PowerOn Member Posts: 200
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    first mtp - doctor was checking my left knee at the time, not certain if that is a particular part of the knee or all of it.
    Best joke I ever read, "With that information and a diagnosis of spondylosis, your doctor can develop a treatment plan‏" or back in reality totally ignore you. Is ok I have a sense of humour and a boxing glove, not defeated yet.
  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,488
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi PowerOn

    Sorry to hear about the pain you are currently getting.

    OA of the first mtp is where cartilage has worn away in the big toe and this can cause extra bone growth and pain. Treatment for this involves wearing the correct footwear, exercise and in some cases having special insoles (orthotics). For more information on this see http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/foot-pain.aspx.


    The tests for OA would be X-rays or an MRI scan, to see if cartilage has been lost in the joint.

    Treatment for OA can include exercise, healthy eating, being a reasonable weight for your size (to avoid putting extra strain on the joints) and painkillers. See http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets/main_content/OAbooklet2011.pdf.

    Probably the best person to see if you have OA is a physio and in some cases your doctor can refer you to a muscular skeletal clinic.

    Fibromyalgia involves having multiple sore or painful muscles. For more info on this see http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Factsheets/main_content/FibromyalgiafactsheetJuly2011.pdf.

    I hope you manage to move forward with this.

    All the best

    Nick
    Helplines Team
  • PowerOn
    PowerOn Member Posts: 200
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Nick,

    Thank you for your reply.
    I thought he was referring to my knee when he said that (OA of the first mtp), not doubting you in any way just a reminder to take nothing for granted and ask.
    Those are great links I will have a read through a lot of that site.
    Best joke I ever read, "With that information and a diagnosis of spondylosis, your doctor can develop a treatment plan‏" or back in reality totally ignore you. Is ok I have a sense of humour and a boxing glove, not defeated yet.
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