Osteoarthritis

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Loubie
Loubie Member Posts: 5
in Living with arthritis

Hi, I have just had the results of a mri and I am shocked to be told I have osteoarthritis. I hurt my back a year ago and saw a chiropractor who told me I had a herniated disc. The pain just worsened and I now have pain in my back , neck and shoulder but worse i have constant tingling in my right arm and loss of grip in my right hand . My gp thinks I have nerve damage in my neck. The doctor who gave me my mri results said all my pain is down to the osteoarthritis. My question is to anyone with osteoarthritis...is this loss of feeling and tightness in my hands normal or could my gp be right in what she says ? I also have joint degeneration and dehydration in my discs. Honestly I feel the mri report may as well have been written in a foreign language and neither doctor is properly explaining to me . I'm just feeling very confused.

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  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,712
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    I'm fortunate that, though my neck is virtually immobile, the rest of my back is in good nick despite many years of RA and OA.

    As I understand it, purely from reading many posts on here, OA can start at the site of a former injury which would explain your back OA. Also, back OA can cause nerve damage which would account for the tingling and loss of grip. Also, as we get older, our vertebrae get 'drier' whether or not we have arthritis.

    I think MRI reports are,. essentially, written for GPs so are, indeed, in a foreign language to us laypeople as we've never learnt medical terms.

    Here is a page from Versus Arthritis that will, hopefully, help. https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2022/march/five-ways-to-help-manage-back-pain/

    Exercises are essential for us to maintain the movement we have and reduce the pain but do start gently and slowly. Little and often is best.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • airwave
    airwave Member Posts: 579
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    Why would you not trust a medical opinion?

  • N1gel
    N1gel Member Posts: 160
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    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695076#Comment_695076

    Because some medical opinion is not competent:

    QV: My (ex) GP who told me I had 'Tennis Elbow' when even the preliminary X-Ray showed OA, (you should have seen his body language after I saw an orthopaedic surgeon).

    The Orthotist who told me my knee could 'Snap in two' if I didn't wear the brace designed by his company. The off-the-peg one works fine thank you.

    Don't blindly accept one medical opinion.

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