Dealing with arthritis

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gorilla monsoon
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Dealing with arthritis

Postby gorilla monsoon » Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:29 pm

So my knee and I went to the doctor complaining about those sudden sharp pains that occur without a whole lot of warning and the long aches that stick around for way too long and for no good reason.
"You've had two arthroscopic procedures on that knee," she said, "I'll send you for X-rays but I can tell you now it will be arthritis. It is what happens to people our age." It helps to have a doc the same age as you because they have had similar life experiences and, if nothing else, remember The Monkees television show.
She was right, of course. I suppose after years studying medicine at university and treating idiots like me on a daily basis there is a fair likelihood she will be right but even so.......
"Use anything you want to treat it, some will work, some won't but you can go for everything from a support brace to Goanna Oil and you will probably get relief of some sort," she said before relieving me of $72. I noted she left Mary Jane, medical or otherwise, out of the fixatives mix.
So I am working my way through the various treatments, additives, poltices, pills, dietary changes and exercises.
A brace is out of the question. I tried one for quite a while before the last arthroscope and found it too restrictive. Goanna Oil is warm and smelly but is more for soft tissue (it worked wonders on a pulled shoulder muscle) and the same can be said for the herbal patches. No, hang on, I tried those on that pulled muscle and they didn't do a whole hell of a lot of good there either. Paracetemol, aspirin and other similar sorts of things didn't do much either but on the plus side I haven't had a headache in days.
Voltaren has some interesting lotions and potions that seem to have some effect but I need to advance my experimentation and the shelves at the local apothecary are starting to become quite bewildering when it comes to the rest.
So can I ask the older riders here -- those who remember The Monkees and who, like me, are in some kind of imagined queue for an eventual knee replacement -- what treatments/diets/exercise regime they are using and, more importantly, what has been successful?
The one thing I do take comfort in is that, when my knee does hurt, I can do no more damage to it than nature is already doing.
What I do hope though is that someone has that bullet (not the magic one, I couldn't be that lucky. I'll settle for simple sleight of hand) that can help me and others like me to wait out the next few years before we get to see the man with the hammer, chisel and plastic knee.
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RonK
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby RonK » Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:14 pm

Chondroitin, glucosamine, fish oil, krill oil, krill with green lipped mussel, shark cartilage - tried 'em all. Only one that helps is Voltaren, it lets me keep my joints moving (the other half of the treatment), albeit with care to avoid overloading.
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Tim
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby Tim » Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:54 pm

Keep riding, get used to it and try not to moan about it too much. :)
As an old carpenter said to me on a job site a few years ago after wingeing about a sore back, knees, wrists (and everything else);
"Ya bedda get used to it son, it only gets worse".
Sorry, but it's true.
I tried all the ointments, oils, pills and potions. They help a bit but won't fix it.
KEEP MOVING.
Yeah, Voltaren or pain killers as a last resort when or if things get really bad and try to keep the joint warm in winter.

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matagi
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby matagi » Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:29 pm

I notice I get some minimising of pain and stiffness if I take glucosamine and fish oil regularly - which I do in sporadic bursts. The other thing that helps is Voltaren gel.

Oh yeah, and keep moving. :)

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CXCommuter
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby CXCommuter » Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:56 am

Boron, glucosamine, magnesium
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm

Keep the weight off and keep moving

Fish oil - meh - fish is better (I soundly got ridiculed for taking fish oil by the BNA Police/members)

BTW Boron won't resolve it but will improve it (study number currently four - all have improvements)
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tallywhacker
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby tallywhacker » Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:49 am

I've found a mix of green lipped muscle/chrondroitin and glucosamine helps. When they really hurt a mix of indocid and paracetamol works for me.
The only rub I found helps a bit is pain away
Before traveling where I'll do a lot of walking or skiing I get a cortisone injection in each knee.

My orthopod told me hold off on the knee replacement, they have a limited life span which is shortened if you are active and you can generally have the joint replaced twice. So if you are 50ish you'll hit your 80s in a lot of pain and no possibility of a replacement.

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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby John Lewis » Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:24 am

My Father in Law swears by the boron. It used to be available until forced of the market by the medical authorities. He makes up his own brew now I think.

I've heard good reports about Tumeric.. Google may help you find info.
I tried it briefly but didn't notice much effect.
Unfortunately Glucosamine is out for me due allergy but it certainly seemed to work on our arthritic old dog..

Doc prescribed some Panadol Osteo. It had no effect at all. Come to that Panadol doesn't even help me with a headache.

Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) supposed to help with pain etc but I'm told it doesn't do the innards much good.

If you come up with something that works let me know.

John

Nobody
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby Nobody » Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:47 am

gorilla monsoon wrote:What I do hope though is that someone has that bullet (not the magic one, I couldn't be that lucky. I'll settle for simple sleight of hand) that can help me and others like me to wait out the next few years before we get to see the man with the hammer, chisel and plastic knee.
You may want to consider ditching animal products as a source of inflammation. You can also get a healthier source of omega 3 (ALA) from ground linseed (flax seed) without the saturated fat in fish or fish oil.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-fish ... snake-oil/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut ... cts/3163/2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-lea ... lammation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I lost 20% of my body weight or about 16.5Kg by changing to a whole food plant based diet which helped. I'm not cured of knee problems, but they are certainly less than they used to be, to the point where I don't notice them most of the time. :)

Other things that have helped me are also:
Better bike fit.
Stretching.
ITB/muscle massage/pressure after riding.

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greyhoundtom
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby greyhoundtom » Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:57 am

Twenty years ago we had a very small pet dog inherited from my daughter who could no longer look after it. When it got to be around 10 years of age it used to whinge in pain after doing a bit of running around and could no longer jump up on the bed.

So I got some cortisone tablets for it from the Vet, but then you simply can't take cortisone for very long before it starts to do severe damage.
At that time I was making an electronic device that used small loud speakers. I used to buy these from China for next to nothing but had to throw about a third away because of poor quality. So I knocked about 20 magnets off some speakers, placed them in the base of the dogs sleeping basket, and took him off the cortisone.

With humans you can have a placebo effect, not with animals.

After two months this dog was back running around like a pork chop, and back jumping on chairs and the bed.

After working in the building trade in my younger days, I suffered from disk spinal problems that often had me hobbling around like an old chook plus a very bad knee that used to swell up if I placed under any real strain.

Good enough for the dog ....... good enough for me.

So I fitted 120 of those speaker magnets in one of those dense foam camping mats, placed that on top of my side of the bed with a section of egg crate foam over the top.

Took about four months before I suddenly realized I had very little pain in my joints, and in fact felt better than I had for years.

My wife had suffered for years with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in her knees and wrists, and was starting to worry about the side effects of some of the medication she was taking.
While she was initially extremely skeptical about having her whole body exposed to fairly strong magnets, in fact refused to have anything to do with them, she relented and I made the same magnetic mat for her side of the bed.

Neither of us have looked back from that day on, at least in regard to suffering arthritic pain, and my wife has taken no arthritic medication or pain relief in regard to joint pain for at least ten years.

The dog lived to be 18 years of age, and until the day he died from heart problems, still used to run around like a young pup.

I don't care if anyone believes me or not, but I do know that a static magnetic field has an anti inflammatory effect, and therefore should reduce general inflammation in the body and bone joints.

The other thing that is often beneficial in a situation where there is joint inflammation due to wear and tear and older age, is to take one 100 mg aspirin tablet each night before going to bed, as this then gets a better chance to reduce general body inflammation, keeping in mind the thinning of the blood this causes and increased bleeding as a result of an injury.

Both my wife and I have found that taking the minimum aspirin dose plus sleeping every night on a static magnetic field may not be that magic bullet but has certainly provided noticeable beneficial results.

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CXCommuter
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby CXCommuter » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:31 am

Image

CKinnard
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby CKinnard » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:57 am

When walking, does your knee hurt all the time to the same extent?
If not, ask your GP if it is arthritis as in worn cartilage, why it hurts some times a lot more than others.

Nobody
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby Nobody » Thu Jan 22, 2015 10:00 am

greyhoundtom wrote:I don't care if anyone believes me or not, but I do know that a static magnetic field has an anti inflammatory effect, and therefore should reduce general inflammation in the body and bone joints.
Thanks for posting. :)
Yes, it doesn't matter if people believe us. The important thing is we've given them another option.

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gorilla monsoon
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby gorilla monsoon » Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:01 pm

I am definitely seeking all the options.
Not my circus, not my monkeys

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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby Shelby35 » Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:09 pm

I've had 1 hip replacement from arthritis and the other one is no good either dr said hope to get 10 years before i need to get it done but i doubt that. I found that pain awaycream worked best for me and i am now taking curcumin tablets which have turmeric in them instead of taking celerbrex as it was giving me gut problems. Good luck with it.

hunch
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby hunch » Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:27 am

Maybe get a referral to a rheumatologist and lighten the wallet a bit more? I don't trust GPs after suffering arthritis from the late teens and being misdiagnosed time after time for about 30 years even with fairly profound textbook symptoms! Thankfully the lower body wasn't affected during that time, although the left knee has started clicking with minor discomfort recently, with x-rays show signs of arthritis. I'd lay odds that's as a result of a fail to give way bullbar smidsy and resulting broken leg about 10 years back.....as the other leg is good.

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cyclotaur
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby cyclotaur » Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:03 am

I have arthritis in both my little fingers. Some days worse than others, and becoming a real nuisance when performing on bass or guitar. I watched a show (Australian Story ?) where Bob Hawke mentioned eating a small bowl of black cherries every day and how it reduced his arthritic symptoms significantly so I've tried it and I think it has a definite improving effect. I also take a daily dose of glucosamine and fish oil.

I also have a dodgy knee but I take it very easy wrt to that these days. Most exercise from cycling and walking - no running.
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westab
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby westab » Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:14 pm

GM - I hope that your arthritis is feeling better / manageable.

My 2 cents worth is to keep the joints mobile and strong. Being and ex-cricket fast bowler with some arthritis showing in my ankles and knees and hips from the constant pounding for over 20 years my physio (sister) thinks cycling is good for me but more so swimming - well at least walking up and down in the pool. This has help lots - I do feel stronger and it has helped to take away some of the pain I have after other types of exercise - My legs feel simply tired, not sore, and there is no swelling (that tends to happen with my right ankle especially after other exercise)

She also (like myself) thinks that sometimes doctors give out too may "pills" as if we strive to continue to exercise and remain mobile with realistic mindsets then our bodies (aged or not) will respond to our attitude if we simply give then time to adjust.
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rpmspinman
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby rpmspinman » Mon Feb 02, 2015 6:44 pm

RA sufferer here for 12years. Used to take doctors immune suppressing drugs. Now off of them and onto combination of Mangosteen, Krill, Vitamin D and Magnesium as well as low dose Naltrexone. Havent felt this good in a long time.
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RonK
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Dealing with arthritis

Postby RonK » Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:46 pm

Just to clarify, we now have posts about both osteoarthitis (a degenerative condition) and rheumatoid arthritis (an auto-immune disease).

Are the same treatments effective for both conditions?
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CKinnard
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby CKinnard » Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:35 pm

rpmspinman wrote:RA sufferer here for 12years. Used to take doctors immune suppressing drugs. Now off of them and onto combination of Mangosteen, Krill, Vitamin D and Magnesium as well as low dose Naltrexone. Havent felt this good in a long time.
I'd be interested to hear how you do on the above when you drop naltrexone.

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ValleyForge
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby ValleyForge » Tue Feb 03, 2015 1:57 pm

RonK wrote:Just to clarify, we now have posts about both osteoarthitis (a degenerative condition) and rheumatoid arthritis (an auto-immune disease).

Are the same treatments effective for both conditions?
Absolutely different diseases. Apples with apples.....
Ha ha ha! Cookies on dowels.

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rpmspinman
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby rpmspinman » Tue Feb 03, 2015 5:34 pm

CKinnard wrote:
rpmspinman wrote:RA sufferer here for 12years. Used to take doctors immune suppressing drugs. Now off of them and onto combination of Mangosteen, Krill, Vitamin D and Magnesium as well as low dose Naltrexone. Havent felt this good in a long time.
I'd be interested to hear how you do on the above when you drop naltrexone.
I'll let you know. it will be when the doc reckons I can go off it. Dosage is 4.5mg so it's quite safe but seems to help the best during sleep.

What have you heard?
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carcharias
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby carcharias » Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:19 pm

If anyone has meniscus tears and is suitable for this, I recommend it. Still is partially trashed joint as my initial tear/surgery was 15 years ago. My Orteq implant was nearly 2 years ago.
So far, my knee is a lot better and hopefully will put off it's demise till drastic options are all that's left.(Carpentry)
Lobby your local MP's and Govt. Minister for Health, and request that this surgery be made available for people with meniscus injuries in Australia.

If I had a time machine there is NO WAY I would have had an arthroscope (meniscus trim) as the injury settled down after about 6 months and was not troubling me much at all. But then again, you never really know...IMO, 'If it aint broke-don't fix it'.
http://orteq.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Cheers C.

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rodneycc
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby rodneycc » Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:50 pm

Yeah the Naltrexone, I'd like to hear more about that one as well. Thats the opioid blocker isn't it. I'd bet it would do a good job blocking the joint pain as well...

Pain does serve a purpose though and you don't want to be unbeknowingly injuring it more and masking it with pain relief. That would be my concern.
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outnabike
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Re: Dealing with arthritis

Postby outnabike » Fri Oct 02, 2015 7:41 am

gorilla monsoon wrote:I am definitely seeking all the options.
My doc prescribed "Celebrex" for the condition and "Nexium" for the prevention of stomach problems as I am susceptible to meds that cause stomach bleeding like aspirin etc

My knees play up and there is no probable cause it seems other than the weather.

Been on all sorts of stuff since I was twenty....finally this stuff brings relief in one day. I suppose we are all going to react differently but a couple of days in a row and then its all ok. The longest I took them was around 6 days, but it's better to take a couple at first sign.
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