r/Osteoarthritis

Hello I’m looking for some advice Internet mother she is 73 years old her OA started about 9 years ago and progressed rapidly since then she sees a dr at a top hospital we are in Chicago they give her cortisol shots which are not giving her relief anymore at least as of late they were prior she has a history of stomach bleeding and cannot take anti inflammatory of any kind she is scared to death if surgery and absolutely will not do it, therapy really didn’t help and it’s not covered by Medicare so really out of her reach does anyone gave any ideas doctors or even suggestions she is in pain I want to help doctors only say surgery and she just will not

71 f, had right hip replaced 10 yrs ago. In increasing pain over last 1.5 yrs now on left side - Also radiating pain (all on left side) in butt, flank, lower back, groin, upper thigh, shin and ankle area. Also seeing a neurosurgeon since I had a lumbar MRI with a fair amount of canal narrowing, stenosis etc - Except he thinks my symptoms if my pain was neural would tend to be on the right side, not left. Had two hip x-rays with different orthopedists over the last year, both said arthritis is moderate, not that bad. And that was that.

Had a lumbar epidural a month ago at L3-4; Didn't do much if anything. I cannot walk for longer than 10 minutes without being in unbearable pain. I have some bladder incontinence. Getting in cars is a process, butt first. Rotating knee outward is excruciating. One day I almost had to crawl back to our house because I couldn't continue walking. I have pain at night. I'm taking 1400 mg Gabapentin/day but the pain constantly breaks through, so I take additional anti-inflammatories.

Anyhow - I've just made another appointment with my original ortho and will try to make myself clear: I can't go on like this - It would be one thing if I were 81 or 85; okay, I'll stay at home and watch birds at the feeder; But two years ago we were traveling, touring, on my feet most of the day no problem. Yes, I'm too sedentary but I make sure to get up and move around regularly - My goal is to walk 3 miles pain free. As it is, I can't take one step without pain.

Who else has had their OA or spine issue underestimated? How did you handle it?

I had this on my X/ray report “Bilaterally there is prominent osteophyte formation at the articular margins of the acetabuli, leading to over-coverage of the femoral heads”
I have mri next week.
But I’m just wondering if anyone has similar.
I’m in chronic pain and bed ridden some days -
But weirdly suffering agony in my right knee.
But I don’t know why - and wondering if anyone has the same ? And if so, any advice re. Managing the pain?

Please help

Looking to see if anyone else has had the same experience with prp

Diagnosed with early onset arthritis in left hip. I have had chronic pain in that hip for years.

I’ve had 2 rounds of prp+fibrin injections into left hip which created lots of fluid in the hip joint as seen on ultrasound this fluid build up only started after the injection. My dr doesn’t know what’s happening as there is no stress fracture or anything visibly wrong with my hip. He is sending me for an mri but that wait time here is incredibly long. He is also sending me to have bloodwork done to check for autoimmune diseases. He sent me home with a prescription for celebrex which I don’t want to take do to the side effects of it. I just don’t understand why my hip socket filled up with so much fluid. It’s been 6 weeks since last prp inj so this should not be happening. I need to get rid of this fluid without using any nsads or steroids.

Anyone dealing with MCP knuckle oa? Just discovered this is another spot for oa, middle joint locked. Lost at least 4" of span in a split second. Rheumatologist scanned and it is oa. Waiting for a hand surgeon, also waiting for both base thumb joint replacements hopefully soon.

Waiting to see an ot for splinting in the meantime, and some pt.

Ty in advance.

Anyone have spinal condition that when standing causes legs to tingle? In winter time, no problem. It’s just me being me. Now that’s it’s summer it’s tough to discern - is that my spine or is a bug on me. I play this dance too often and guess wrong most times.

I'd just like to know if there are any people in the sub that have both OA in the knee/hips *and* scoliosis, and if one condition has made the other worse, or if you think that your OA was caused by your scoliosis.

And if yes, what symptoms were you having? Were you in pain and how often? (that's a stupid question lol, probably a yes)

I wish I could soak my feet in Epsom salt every day, but that's not feasible. So I wondered about heated socks instead.

Has anyone tried them and if so which ones?

I'm F 28, had an appointment to remove a cyst in my middle finger today, upon doing x-rays I was told they can't do it until they take an ultrasound because I have osteoarthritis 🫩

I've had a lot of pain in my joints the last few years, the same kind I've been having in my finger with the cyst. I thought the pain in the finger was because of the cyst but apparently it's the osteo. I also have EDS and put a lot of my joint pain down to that.

Now I don't know if the joint pain across my body is eds or osteoarthritis. My mum has osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, she was diagnosed in her thirties and since then it's slowed her down a lot, she went from doing fairly active physical jobs to being almost completely disabled. I have to do a lot of things requiring dexterity for her since her hands are often really swollen and she can't bend her fingers.

I just feel like crying, I'm 28 but already been having this pain for years. Do I need to get tested for rheumatoid arthritis too now? What are the chances I'll inherit all these conditions from my disabled parents. (Mum rheumo, osteo, asthma, IBS. Dad Parkinson's, Crohn's, asthma among many others). I already have really severe asthma and allergies, IBS, eczema, scoliosis, autism, eczema and now osteoarthritis.

It's super stressful too because I've been working at a chain bakery for about a month now, it's physical and I'm enjoying it but I have a lot of pain after my shifts, I'd already booked time off because I thought I'd have stitches but now I'm gonna have to book it off in a few more weeks when they do the scan and can actually remove the cyst.

It honestly isn't fair, I've been really trying to turn my life around and make a big difference to my life and this feels like a life sentence

I had my long awaited appt with an Orthopedic surgeon almost 2 weeks ago. After X-rays he recommended we try Cortisone in one knee, and a Gel in the other, to see which works better for me. We did the gel (Durolane) in the knee that hurt a little more.

I had instant relief on the cortisone knee, but the gel knee is still painful and difficult to beat weight on. Maybe there was a placebo effect at first because the day of the shots I felt great. The next day both knees hurt so much I called the Dr and they put me on Methylprednisolone. I am on my last pill of that in the morning. I'm moving from Day 6 to 7. Is it normal to still have pain in the knee 6 days out on the Durolane?

I'm wondering if maybe I am just more suited for Cortisone, or maybe I am jumping the gun?

Hi all, 45f just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the left knee. Been told I'm headed for a TKR but told I can get 10-15 years with a cartilage replacement, which is 2 surgeries, one to remove healthy cartilage, boost it in the lab and replace 4 weeks later. I'm just wondering about experiences here. I am wondering if I'm heading for a TKR anyways, is it worth bothering with this and just getting it now or...?

I suspect the right knee has it too, but no-one seems to want to go there right now. The only symptoms I ever had was clicking during working out, squats specifically. Both knees have it. No pain, so I wasn't too concerned. Then one day I was walking downstairs and something went awry and the pain was insufferable. Immediately swelled up. I couldn't understand as I hadn't actually done anything. Then I was told after MRI that there was no cartilage left in my knee and it was completely worn out. Still perplexed as to how I just noticed at this advanced stage. And both knees were the same until now. I also click in many other joints so I'm worried, but no one wants to have that conversation as I'm not in pain anywhere else. Advice most appreciated! ♥️

Edit: I should add that I'm currently an expat and extremely privileged to have amazing private health insurance. When I go back to my home country I will be in the public system, so I am conscious I will not have the same care and may be waiting a long time for the TKR when I need it, so that adds to my concern, if it's worth getting now when I have good healthcare. Not to say the public healthcare won't be good, just that it probably won't be AS good based on my daughter and husband having the same ACL surgery here and in our home country recently. Her experience at home was an absolute nightmare and farce compared to his here. He was walking within hours of surgery, she was crippled for weeks. He had ongoing physio and help, she had one physio appointment that was basically useless.

I am currently 4 weeks into PT and just left my follow-up from my MRI (no contrast). I currently have CAM impingement, osteoarthritis and a few labrum tears. My ortho said due to the arthritis the arthroscopy is off the table. The instructions were we need to preserve and PT this hip to live as long as possible (hopefully 10+ years). So, I was wondering the following:

1. Has PT significantly helped you? Or improved the condition? (I feel like my last 4 weeks the catching has decreased but still definitely occurs).

2. Has anything else specifically worked? Peptides? I assume holding off on cortisone as long as possible is preferred.

I currently can walk (and most daily tasks) fine but extended walks cause discomfort and inward rotation of my left hip causing this sharp pain/catching sensation.

I'm a 37 y/o active male and just wondering if this is my next decade of managing this via modified activity until an eventual replacement or people have experienced improvement in some way.

no insight/ instruction from physician, any experiences? TIA

What's the best otc knee brace for Osteoarthritis? I have cheap compression sleeves from Walmart. Has anyone had success with wearing knee braces to avoid Knee replacement surgery? Im terrified lol. No way !!

For context, I am 35 and have arthritis in my STT and CMC joints with no cartilage left between the joints following a car accident.

The pain is mild to moderate , depending on what I am doing. Some days it’s okay and other days it sucks.

I saw a wrist surgeon that said they wouldn’t want to do surgery on my wrist due to my age, nor do I want it.

They want me to have a cortisone shot but I am hesitant as it is just a bandaid solution, maybe a few months relief at best and then it’ll be the same as before and it’s not like I can have them for the rest of my life.

Looking for peoples advice and experiences.

Hi everyone! Has anyone else experienced hip osteoarthritis (NOT bone on bone yet) and it hurts almost all the time? I've been in severe pain for two months now (supposedly it's stage 2 judging by x-ray and mri), and nothing's really helping (tried physiotherapy, painkillers, exercise therapy), but the scans say it's too early for replacement... I also have osteoporosis, ehlers danlos syndrome and I'm 32, so trying to put THR as far as I can.

I'd be happy if you could share your experience.

Hi everyone,

I’m 38F and trying to figure out what to do next with my knee.

For about a year I’ve had major knee pain and very limited ability to bend my knee, especially under load. Squats, leg extensions, stairs/step-downs and deeper knee flexion tend to flare it up, so I’ve mostly been limited to things like deadlifts, hip thrusts and calf raises.

I’ve also been unable to run for quite a while, although cycling has generally been much more tolerable and has been my main form of cardio exercise.

I recently had arthroscopy where they removed a loose cartilage fragment and a cartilage flap. Unfortunately, the orthopedic surgeon said I have severe patellofemoral osteoarthritis (trochlea + backside of patella), bone-on-bone, and that this surgery is unlikely to make the knee pain-free.

He mentioned a patellofemoral replacement may eventually be the only thing likely to help, but at 38 I’d really like to delay that if possible.

I’ve already tried a cortisone injection, but unfortunately it only made things worse. I’m now considering hyaluronic acid injections and wondering if anyone with mainly patellofemoral OA has had benefit from that.

I’d also love to hear from anyone who has managed this conservatively for a while:

What types of exercise actually helped?

Is the Knees Over Toes program worthwile?

Did you find ways to improve tolerance to bending under load?

Any success with strength training modifications, injections (HA/PRP), braces/taping, etc.?

Anyone delay a PF replacement for years and still function reasonably well?

I know everyone is different — mostly just looking for experiences from people in a similar situation.

Im 61f. Unfortunately it is getting worse. I cant even step on or off curbs anymore. Im starting to feel really depressed. My quality of life is getting close to nothing. Has anyone else ever felt seriously defeated and depressed? Running out of options

I have edema, cysts, and cartilage loss, can't go down the stairs normally or it's like I'm getting stabbed in the knee, but it's "not bad enough for a replacement." For what it's worth, it was my second opinion.

Did PT, shots, gel, did nothing.

Getting an arthroscopy, and the surgeon is considering MACI again... I'm not. It sucked, I'm not going through this again (6 weeks non weight bearing, for only partial relief, as I still get moderate pain at times using stairs/sitting down with my other knee).

I just hate it here.