can I ask someones advice, exercise and osteo

nickynysmon08
nickynysmon08 Bots Posts: 111
edited 30. Mar 2009, 07:39 in Living with Arthritis archive
I have taken to sometimes taking one tramodol now when I go for walk, to ease the discomfort from my knee and hip, or both hips. so far it seems effective but I am wondering , am concerned, if by ignoring ones aches and pains, and simply using ones joints as normal, one is doing longer term damage to them. or should I say simply, 'to hell with it' and get on with life????
still trying to sort our my activities with regard to arthritis, and how far I should simply ignore it. advice and suggestions most appreciated,

Nick

Comments

  • petmad
    petmad Member Posts: 252
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Nick, I also have OA and sympathise with your plight. However it is important to keep active, while not over stressing your injured joints, you will find advice regarding keeping active on this page http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/LivingwithArthritis/Self-management/@143755 Just copy and past it onto your address bar..
    I also take pain medication prior to going out or undertaking any energetic tasks and find this helps to relax the muscles and make it easier to move, just remember not to go mad and thing you can do more than you normally would :lol:
    Best of luck. Linda
  • colinone
    colinone Member Posts: 1,039
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Nick
    Well let me tell you I have seen some of your walks and they look like marathons to me. I think there must be a fine line for people with arthritis between what’s overdoing it and exercise. I think its good to get out and about and use your body but as you say will this add to your arthritis and make it worse. I think the last thing we should do is sit about we need to keep our joints going. Perhaps you should talk to your GP about seeing the Physiotherapist for some advise. Actually taking the tablet to stop the pain is not doing anything for your condition and perhaps you could look at reducing the arthritis and not just the pain killers Take Care Nick
    Catch you soon
    Colin
  • nickynysmon08
    nickynysmon08 Bots Posts: 111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    petmad wrote:
    Hi Nick, I also have OA and sympathise with your plight. However it is important to keep active, while not over stressing your injured joints, you will find advice regarding keeping active on this page http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/LivingwithArthritis/Self-management/@143755 Just copy and past it onto your address bar..
    I also take pain medication prior to going out or undertaking any energetic tasks and find this helps to relax the muscles and make it easier to move, just remember not to go mad and thing you can do more than you normally would :lol:
    Best of luck. Linda

    thank you for this. i often wonder if osteo is made worse by too much mobility, if it can wear out the joints even more. i agree taking painkillers when there is some pain in a joint does help relax them a lot, this I do find. also when I come back from a walk even with pains in my knee of hip, at the time, I do feel better afterward. still, the question always remains in the mind though. which is the reason I am seeking peoples advice.

    i am heartened by your on experience in this, Linda



    Nick
  • mistywillow
    mistywillow Member Posts: 711
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    colinone wrote:
    Hi Nick
    Well let me tell you I have seen some of your walks and they look like marathons to me. I think there must be a fine line for people with arthritis between what’s overdoing it and exercise. I think its good to get out and about and use your body but as you say will this add to your arthritis and make it worse. I think the last thing we should do is sit about we need to keep our joints going. Perhaps you should talk to your GP about seeing the Physiotherapist for some advise. Actually taking the tablet to stop the pain is not doing anything for your condition and perhaps you could look at reducing the arthritis and not just the pain killers Take Care Nick
    Catch you soon
    Colin


    Hi Nick
    The best advice re exercise is to keep yourself as active as possible but without stressing your joints and causing more pain. Its all about pacing yourself (although i am not very good at doing that myself. if i have a good day, i go for it doing everything i possibly can in case i don't get another good day in the near future.) I suffer big time after doing this and it is the worse thing to do.) So don't do as i do :lol: A gentle routine of general mobilising and stretching exercises may help before you go for your walks, good shoes (no 9inch stilletos(sp?) Listen to your body, on better days you maybe able to walk a bit further than on other days.
    take care Gill d045.gif
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Nick

    Ignoring the oa is not really on. I don't think so anyway. For a start your body will not let you forget it especially if you are overtaxing it and even when you are not.

    By all means go for walks but don't set your goals too high as I think you may be doing ie pushing yourself too far. Non weight bearing exercise is much kinder on your oa joints. Get the bike out, go swimming, stretching exercises, yoga, tai chi. As said before, oa is wear and tear so it seems logical to me that they will wear out sooner or later, whatever you do. Of course it is no good sitting in a chair all day either, far from it. Use it or lose it. It is only you who know your limits. Listen to your body and it will definitely tell you.

    We all overdo it and have a really good day or so and then it is payback time. We get used to that but hey it was really great at the time.

    You can up the meds, as you say, you already now sometimes take a tramadol before going for a walk. As time goes on, you will have increase the meds. It is unfortunately all part of it, if we wish to have a life.

    Moderation in all things, as my gran told me. :roll:

    All the best
    Elna
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • nickynysmon08
    nickynysmon08 Bots Posts: 111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    went out for a walk, ended up with a rather painful hobble. i had put a load of seed potatoes in the ground, earlier, so this may not have helped. the last post by elna really brings it home with common sense. some very shrewd words, thank you.

    best wishes,

    Nick
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi, thanks Nick.

    Time for a rest then. Your body is talking to you. :lol:

    I am just out to empty a compost bin in the garden and wheel it in the barrow loads to the allotment. :wink::wink: I shall probably do too much and suffer tomorrow but what the heck. :lol::lol: Tomorrow I may have to take it easy if that is the case. It will probably rain Monday anyway!

    Over and out,
    Elna
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • joanlawson
    joanlawson Member Posts: 8,681
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Nick
    In my area, there are some exercise classes especially for people with health problems. You have to be referred by your doctor to join.

    I have been referred, and I'm due to start soon. The instructor has already spoken to me on the phone, and he wants me to go half an hour early on the first session so that he can assess me more thoroughly. He will then tailor the exercise to what he thinks I can safely manage. I'm sure there are similar programmes in other areas, so you could ask your doctor.

    I think the advice not to push yourself too hard is sound. I am suffering today, just because I tackled a mountain of ironing yesterday, and I carried on even when my knees were telling me I should stop.

    Joan
    c1b3ebebbad638aa28ad5ab6d40cfe9c.gif
  • jemima
    jemima Member Posts: 24
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I understand that one of the better types of exercise to do is to swim as this removes the weight bearing from your sore joints and gives you more mobility with less pain.

    My local NHS has gym membership on GP referral which includes concessionary prices on using the local swimming pool or joining an aquafit class. The scheme sounds similar to joanlawson's description.

    If you go to a class, you get a full assessment beforehand and need to explain to your class instructor if you have specific limitations. When I went, there were loads of other people in a similar situation.

    Otherwise imagine all that warm water and the bliss of floating without having to weight bear on painful joints....
  • eckstardeluxe
    eckstardeluxe Member Posts: 1,192
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have OA so understand your concerns. I once tried to go without meds to see if they really helped and was back on them within hours. You sound like you are doing things right by slowly taking your time but stop when you feel uncomfortable. My problem is when I'm having a good day I tend do try ironing etc and suffer the next day because I've overdone it. Try and pace yourself, excercise is good for OA because it strengthens your muscles, especially swimming. Just try not to get carried away and do too much and you'll be fine.
  • nickynysmon08
    nickynysmon08 Bots Posts: 111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    eckstardeluxe wrote:
    I have OA so understand your concerns. I once tried to go without meds to see if they really helped and was back on them within hours. You sound like you are doing things right by slowly taking your time but stop when you feel uncomfortable. My problem is when I'm having a good day I tend do try ironing etc and suffer the next day because I've overdone it. Try and pace yourself, excercise is good for OA because it strengthens your muscles, especially swimming. Just try not to get carried away and do too much and you'll be fine.

    reply

    its funny you should say this. I tried either last week or the one before not taking any diclo, or anything, just seeing how it was, how much was in my own mind. then I found it was definitely in my body!!! if you take my point.
    bring on the pills. they may not cure it but they make life more bearable.
    often when things are going good, it is easy to think all is well until we do some work, gardening, walking, housework. it soon comes back, doesn't it?

    best wishes,

    Nick
  • hezmarie25
    hezmarie25 Member Posts: 63
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi
    Sounds like you have already had some very good advice from the lovely people on here.
    All I can add is that whenever I set out on a walk I always take into account that I have to make it back to the car! What I am trying to say is that I listen to my body and always keep it in mind that I have to go the exact same distance to get back. This way I almost never tend to over do it.
    Keep well and keep smiling
    Heather x
  • marie48
    marie48 Member Posts: 189
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I did ask my GP whether I will do more damage if I do not take the prescribed medication as I do not think they are helping me. He told if I can tolerate the pain, then there is no need for me to take them but they are there if needed. So far, I have been managing with medication for over two months, I had a flare up last weekend due to overdoing things and I only use the brufen gel. This forum is an aspiration to me, when I feel like a moan, I think of those of you who are much worse than me, younger and with a family to look after.

    I do a different type of exercise everyday. So far, I have been able to cope. Twice a week I do pilates from DVD lasting more than an hr, yoga, back exercises which I highly recommend, I got the dvd from daily mail it is back in shape with Neil Summers. Lastly I am a big fan of Rose Mary Conley exercises. I am thinking of joining a local class just to make sure I am breathing properly for the Pilates. I am also doing some exercises to streghten my neck whilst waiting to see the physio, I got them from the arc websites so I think, they should be safe to do. Now that swimming is free for the over 60's, I am going to try to go at least once a week, although not a very good swimmer, I think it will help with the painful joints. The problem is when I do breast stroke, my rt hip clicks in and out but it is not painful. Exercises are good for you as long as you know your limitation.
  • nickynysmon08
    nickynysmon08 Bots Posts: 111
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hezmarie25 wrote:
    Hi
    Sounds like you have already had some very good advice from the lovely people on here.
    All I can add is that whenever I set out on a walk I always take into account that I have to make it back to the car! What I am trying to say is that I listen to my body and always keep it in mind that I have to go the exact same distance to get back. This way I almost never tend to over do it.
    Keep well and keep smiling
    Heather x

    reply
    as someone once said, paraphrasing, this is a smile and not a grimace, only a grimace when it hurts!!!

    they are great people, though, I do agree ..

    Nick
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