OA to both knees

SuzanneT
SuzanneT Member Posts: 1
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:10 in Living with arthritis

Hi. I'm new only joined today. I'm 55 and have OA to both knees. I am still active but have to painkiller up the night before my activity. Given up running but want to continue hiking, cycling and yoga but these do sometimes bring on a flare-up which leaves me out of action with very swollen stiff and painful knees and feelibg depressed for days. Just wondering if there is anyone how may have any ideas that could help please. Tia Suzanne x

Comments

  • noddingtonpete
    noddingtonpete Moderator Posts: 983

    Hello @SuzanneT and welcome to the community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

    I understand that you have osteoarthritis in your knees and have had to cut back on some of your activities, but it is good that you are still able to do some, even if it needs a painkiller. Our website has a lot of useful information and I have put a couple of links in below which you may find useful.

    and

    Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure that others will connect with you to share their thoughts and experiences as well.

    With very best wishes

    Peter (moderator)

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on0800 5200 520Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • jonr
    jonr Member Posts: 398

    Welcome Suzanne, I too have recently joined this group having being diagnosed with OA in both knees about 18 months ago, we're of a smilar age (I'm 56) and like you, it was sport which did for me (10k daily runs, swimming and Badminton).

    So, my experience so far is that Arthritis is very unpredictable, one day I can cycle 50 miles, another I can barely walk so I don't think that in terms of activity doing X = Y.

    If you're looking for low impact ways of keeping active, cycling is the obvious choice and it also helps strengthen the joints. I can also recommend Spin Classes which are pretty hardcore but excellent cardio. I can no longer swim as the leg action really does hurt my knees too much but if you can, great. I like to walk on a treadmill to cool down, raising the gradient and speed to test different muscle groups. If you haven't done so already, invest in some good quality support sleeves, I like a brand called Kedley. These aid stability, give confidence and the compression helps with swelling.

    A physio can design a range of exercises and stretches (I do about 20 minutes daily), a GP can prescribe anti-inflammatories with and a nurse can administer steroid injections, usually once per quarter. These are not magic bullets though - some people respond really well, for some others they have little or no effect, it's a case of trial and error.

    Diet's important - lots of Omega 3 via Salmon or topped up with food supplements, I take quite a lot of natural anti-inflammatories too - Turmeric, Black Walnut Husk, Cod Liver Oil, etc.

    I've recently bought a massager which looks like a hairdryer with a Squash ball on the end - it has 3 settings and it's fab for soothing the soft tissue and tendons around the knee at the back of the joint which get strained because they're compensating for the lack of strength in the knee itself.

    I think it's a case of reading up and trying whatever you can find to keep as active and pain-free as possible.

    Good luck!

    Jon

  • Aallyann
    Aallyann Member Posts: 31

    This is really good advice!

  • Fran54
    Fran54 Member Posts: 176

    Hi @Aallyann

    I find that gentle physio exercises help keep my knee joints and legs more supple. I was referred to physio by my Doctor and was given specific exercises for my condition but there are also some very useful exercises on this site which may help as well. They need to be done on a daily basis and although no quick fix, I found that they helped strengthen my knee muscles and stopped my knee from giving way.

    Good luck and keep posting with updates as to how you are getting on.

    Take care.🙂

  • Fran54
    Fran54 Member Posts: 176

    Hi @SuzanneT

    I do sympathise with you about your knee pain and know how debilitating and feeling low it makes you feel.

    I have found that doing my gentle physio exercises has helped with the stiffness and taking Naproxen with Omeprazole eases the pain.

    Have you been given physio exercises to do? If not, there are some exercises on this site that may be useful to you. As with exercises it will take a while to feel any affect, but hopefully will help in the long run. Also gentle walking is meant to help as well.

    Take care.🙂

  • Aallyann
    Aallyann Member Posts: 31

    Thank you. I have my first physio appointment in two weeks so I was going to wait until then before doing anything as currently my knee still hurts quite a lot from the last swelling episode and I don’t want to do anything to make it go backwards. I’m deffo going to do whatever they suggest though! Thanks for the advice and the kindness.