Best pain relief for arthritic knees

If you can't get Capsaicin cream from your pharmacy, try Capsicum & Ginger Warming Cream from Victoria Health (online). I massage this in to my knee every night before bed, and find it helps if done regularly. It's also very good for my painful thumb joint.

Hi, bit late to the post but it resonates as I sit here on the sofa at 0344. I had a hip replacement 7 months ago and still get a lot of pain around the joint especially after work (I’m an forces veteran now doing painting and decorating). I still haven’t found the balance between doing too much or not enough physical work ie exercise.

I did think about going back to the doctor or surgeon to make sure everything is ok in the new hip as it seems wrong I should still be limping around some 7 months later. I didn’t do any rehab as such so don’t know if I just haven’t strengthened the muscles properly.

I also am on a waiting list for a knee replacement and possible elbow surgery where I have OA in both joints.

So I’m in a lot of daily pain and take cocodamol and also morphine sulphate. Strong painkillers I know and it doesn’t make me feel great but they both hit the spot when needed. The morphine particularly just seems to ease the worst of the pain from a severe to a lower level.

Nothing else has been offered and nothing else I’ve tried ie just brufen or paracetamol help the pain sufficiently. So I feel stuck with my regime. And now I think my body is dependent on the morphine in particular as when I run out I suffer badly through awful pains in both upper arms. This is actually happening now which is why I’m up as I can’t lie down and it’s a panicky feeling it gives you. The pain comes over in waves and nothing helps at all apart from the morphine.

A few weeks ago I was sitting here in the same situation having run out of coco and morphine and unable to sleep or do anything with myself until the new medication arrived the next day thankfully.

I spoke to the Doctor and suggested Im probably having some kind of withdrawal symptoms when my medication runs out. She had agreed to see me next week to discuss potential alternatives and ideas to get me off the morphine.

So not much help regarding pain relief ideas but a warning to be careful of morphine addiction (sulphate) despite the fact the Doctor prescribed it for me in the first place a year or so ago.

I certainly feel the pain of everyone out there and not the nights are long!

Best wishes with finding an answer that works. I will keep you posted.

Welcome to the forum, @MargheritaFierro31 . Thank you for the tip, a very sensible approach – do what you can, then rest.

You do not tell us about the condition you have. If you care to shar some more information, I am sure that there will be others who have relevant experiences to share.

Tom, Moderator.

What I found very helpful food easing my arthritis, was changing to camels milk instead of cows! I saw a documentary several years ago about Camels milk. It's the closest , chemically, to human milk that scientists have found. It boosts the immune system as well as having all the usual calcuim, vitamins, etc. It doesn't irritate the stomach, and far, far less allergens than cows or goats and as the cat molecules are smaller the body can process them easier. I couldn't put my hands palms together (Like saying prayers). But after just 2 or 3 weeks they were almost touching. It doesn't stop the arthritis; it doesn't cure it; it does help my joints to move. I make and sell birthday cards for charity. That keeps the fingers going too, which helps ease the pain a little. Also ask your GP for a prescription for parecetamol. Even if you only just them a month and have to go back and ask for something stronger, and then stronger again. No-one should have to live in pain!

My doctor put me on dicoflenic tablets, and that seems to help

I was on Codrydramol for months and it was helping with the pain , now the manufactures have taken it off the market and said they they not making any more , so Doctor prescribed 200 x Dihydrocodeine 30mg tablets and 200 x Paracetamol 500mg tablets, I take two Tablets every four hours , I also take two capsules 1 in the morning and 1 at night of pregablin, I am having to speak with my GP about these tablets especially the pregablin as I dont want to be on them for a while, but the tablets are not helping me with the pain, I do the excersises which the physio has given me, but the tablets, its like taking sweeties. Anyone on here recomend any other tablets.

Hi @Dromgoole - very interesting your observations about supplements.

I'm bone-on-bone OA in both knees and since my diagnosis 18 months ago I've embarked on a mission to master pain management and key to this has been to pretty much research and try every supplement under the sun.

As you wrote, I too found some either didn't work or my condition improved when not taking them. The worst offenders (for me) were Glucosamine, Choindratin, Green Lip Mussle Extract, Type 2 Collagen and Hyalluronic Acid all in capsule form. I found my legs got hotter, achier, started throbbing and with a couple of these I began to get these severe sharp stabbing pains which literally would stop me in my tracks, I even got more locks.

After doing a lot more research, I found that in the US some patients who had taken part in clinical trials for these reported their symptoms worsened so I guess it really is a case of trial and error. I guess taking supplements can on occasion be a painful and expensive experiment!