Is it OA progression

At first it was just my left ankle which has arthritis due to an accident where i broke both ankles. Now my right ankle is starting to have that cracking sound when i move the ankle joint plus it has low to moderate pain at times. The same way my left ankle started hurting before. My hip has the same amount of pain also. I have an appointment in 3 weeks but i assumed that it is arthritis spreading to other joints. Has anyone had the same kind of problem and could it be spreading so quickly? I am awaiting ankle fusion as my first fusion was mal-aligned. My fear is having all ankles under go arthrodesis.

Comments

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992

    Presumably you have OA, mine started in my spine about 12 years ago and now has spread to every joint except my hips for some reason ......yet! When I was first diagnosed the GP said that I would end up in a wheelchair but he could not say when, "when" was a couple of years ago. This does not mean that it is inevitable that it will spread as everyone is different so I would advise you not to dwell on what may be just try to do the best you can with how you are at the moment.

  • Macdee73
    Macdee73 Member Posts: 50

    Thank you Mike1. Will take 1 day at a time and leace the future out. The pain keeps growing and medication seems to stop working. I feel no difference at all and my Gp fears that stronger meds are not good for me.

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992

    If the meds are not working (mind you I am on Morphine and it only knocks the edge off the pain) as your GP for a referral to your local Pain Clinic as they have a deeper understanding of pain and will be able to prescribe different meds and treatments which may be better for you.

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    It could be spreading but it's unfortunately fairly common for OA to set in, later, on a broken joint. It could be that. Or the ankle and hip might simply be protesting if the original operation was misaligned. X-rays might help. I think, if it were me, I'd want more info on this before having the misalignment corrected just in case it would make things worse. The other ankle will have a lot of post-op work to do as you will know.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Macdee73
    Macdee73 Member Posts: 50

    Thank you for the advice. Will definitely do new xrays and check on how has it changed since last visit. Will also make sure they check hip and the other ankle for any signs of OA.