Help Me Keep my Arthitis at Bay
April 13, 2011 9:12 PM Subscribe
My knee pain was just diagnosed as "mild arthritis." I'm going to be 44 in a month. I know losing some weight will help, and I'll go back on my diet to lose a few pounds. What have you done to mitigate arthritis in your own life?
This osteoarthritis is more annoying than debilitating at this point, though I have lost some movement in that knee (it's my left one). The pain is certainly bearable, so I'm not too worried about that part, yet.
I'm not an athlete, but I do a lot of workshop/yard projects and would like to continue doing so for as long as I'm able, which I would like to think is decades yet. Hopefully.
Walking helps? I don't do enough of that. I don't really have access to anywhere for swimming. I guess I'm interested in strategies to keep the degradation at its current level, or at least keep it from progressing any quicker than it has to.
This osteoarthritis is more annoying than debilitating at this point, though I have lost some movement in that knee (it's my left one). The pain is certainly bearable, so I'm not too worried about that part, yet.
I'm not an athlete, but I do a lot of workshop/yard projects and would like to continue doing so for as long as I'm able, which I would like to think is decades yet. Hopefully.
Walking helps? I don't do enough of that. I don't really have access to anywhere for swimming. I guess I'm interested in strategies to keep the degradation at its current level, or at least keep it from progressing any quicker than it has to.
I am thirty, and have had RH since I was 16.
Walking helps. What also helps is knowing your limits: when it starts to hurt, back off or stop.
Other things that helped me: stopping eating wheat, and taking fish oil. In some people wheat products can cause inflammation, and it can also make existing inflammation worse in some people. Fish oil can help, I find, with flexibility and tendon issues.
I also use Tiger Balm on the joints when they get grumpy and start to ache, and it does help.
I take Mobic, which I find helps a lot, but not everyone can tolerate it well. It helps very much on a daily basis for controlling flareups.
posted by strixus at 9:28 PM on April 13, 2011
Walking helps. What also helps is knowing your limits: when it starts to hurt, back off or stop.
Other things that helped me: stopping eating wheat, and taking fish oil. In some people wheat products can cause inflammation, and it can also make existing inflammation worse in some people. Fish oil can help, I find, with flexibility and tendon issues.
I also use Tiger Balm on the joints when they get grumpy and start to ache, and it does help.
I take Mobic, which I find helps a lot, but not everyone can tolerate it well. It helps very much on a daily basis for controlling flareups.
posted by strixus at 9:28 PM on April 13, 2011
I have osteoarthritis all through my back. The rheumatologist I saw recommended pilates which have been quite helpful. Not sure if it would help the knee but it might be useful to inquire.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 9:29 PM on April 13, 2011
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 9:29 PM on April 13, 2011
Movement. Movement is what heals and restores the body. I'm a huge fan of Pete Egoscue's method. Lexica & I are both walking testaments to how powerful this shit is. Lexi got herself off tylenol w/ codeine after 4 days of doing the exercises out of the book alone. If you MeFi search "egoscue" you'll come across us raving about it to others.
I also recommend strength training for absolutely everyone. Lexica & I have found Convict Conditioning to be the absolute goods and need nalmost nothing you don't already own or can improvise. And it works with Egoscue hand-in-glove. And they can both be pursued in your living room.
Arthritis is not a diagnosis, it's a description of symptoms. And the cure for pain is movement and getting stronger. At 35 I was a wreck. I'm now 42 and leaner & stronger than I was at 21 fighting Olympic-style Taekwon Do. Egoscue & CC are a huge part of that.
Best of luck.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:52 PM on April 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I also recommend strength training for absolutely everyone. Lexica & I have found Convict Conditioning to be the absolute goods and need nalmost nothing you don't already own or can improvise. And it works with Egoscue hand-in-glove. And they can both be pursued in your living room.
Arthritis is not a diagnosis, it's a description of symptoms. And the cure for pain is movement and getting stronger. At 35 I was a wreck. I'm now 42 and leaner & stronger than I was at 21 fighting Olympic-style Taekwon Do. Egoscue & CC are a huge part of that.
Best of luck.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:52 PM on April 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
A good physical therapist can recommend exercises specifically tailored to your needs. You mentioned that you like to do projects in your workshop and yard. If you tell the physical therapist what kinds of movements you do most often, he or she can customize an exercise program to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around your arthritic joints, which can help minimize pain and loss of mobility.
posted by amyms at 9:56 PM on April 13, 2011
posted by amyms at 9:56 PM on April 13, 2011
My physio suggested cycling to me (along with swimming as already suggested) -- exercise without impact is the idea here. I haven't really had any luck with any supplements or crazy diets (not that it's stopping me about to try another one), but my arthritis is the inflammatory kind that hits you when you're younger. Glucosamine is supposed to help you (but not me) - it lubricates the joints which can help when your cartilage is worn as it is in osteoarthritis. I have a friend with arthritis in one knee who tried glucosamine and loves it - apparently it tends to work fast or not at all, so you shouldn't have to take it forever to find out if it's going to help you.
posted by springbound at 4:37 AM on April 14, 2011
posted by springbound at 4:37 AM on April 14, 2011
I too was diagnosed with arthritis in my teens. And now at around your age, following four months of severely limited mobility, and chronic pain from my left knee that made sleeping through the night impossible, I am back to the gym working out.
I need a knee replacement, but I have for the time being had gel injected into my knees to act as cushioning for the joints where my cartilage should be. This enables me to walk and exercise (I am restricted from running, however) mostly normally.
You do not want to get to this point. Take care of your knees.
I will suggest you take glucosamine/chondroitin supplements and many people have had good results with hyuralonic acid supplements as well.
Do knee strengthening exercise. This bit is very important. My surgeon told me that had I been doing my knee strengthening along with running, I probably wouldn't have wrecked my knee so quickly, and also says that if I strengthen all of the muscles that support my knee, I may be able to run again.
I was told that the less I inflame my knee, the longer the remaining cartilage will last. I suggest avoiding those things that give you pain, if at all possible, at least until you've built up the surrounding muscles to give your knee support.
And if you are overweight, try to lose weight. Currently I can walk maybe two miles before my knee starts hurting enough to make me want to stop. If I am carrying anything heavy, however, the pain begins almost immediately. I can only imagine that this stress is what the knee would feel if I were carrying those 25 pounds on my body rather than in my arms.
Also, amyms advice about seeing a PT is excellent. They can suggest exercises for your specific condition.
posted by newpotato at 4:48 AM on April 14, 2011
I need a knee replacement, but I have for the time being had gel injected into my knees to act as cushioning for the joints where my cartilage should be. This enables me to walk and exercise (I am restricted from running, however) mostly normally.
You do not want to get to this point. Take care of your knees.
I will suggest you take glucosamine/chondroitin supplements and many people have had good results with hyuralonic acid supplements as well.
Do knee strengthening exercise. This bit is very important. My surgeon told me that had I been doing my knee strengthening along with running, I probably wouldn't have wrecked my knee so quickly, and also says that if I strengthen all of the muscles that support my knee, I may be able to run again.
I was told that the less I inflame my knee, the longer the remaining cartilage will last. I suggest avoiding those things that give you pain, if at all possible, at least until you've built up the surrounding muscles to give your knee support.
And if you are overweight, try to lose weight. Currently I can walk maybe two miles before my knee starts hurting enough to make me want to stop. If I am carrying anything heavy, however, the pain begins almost immediately. I can only imagine that this stress is what the knee would feel if I were carrying those 25 pounds on my body rather than in my arms.
Also, amyms advice about seeing a PT is excellent. They can suggest exercises for your specific condition.
posted by newpotato at 4:48 AM on April 14, 2011
I have osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. I'm 36.
Exercise (including weight bearing, but just general cardio is important, too), losing weight (it really will make a difference), healthy diet. Sounds boring but it helps.
I've heard people recommend avoiding foods that may exacerbate inflammation (alcohol, spicy foods) but I've never noticed a difference. Also glucosamine/chondroitin didn't help me at all (it made me sick) but many people say it helps.
posted by Pax at 5:24 AM on April 14, 2011
Exercise (including weight bearing, but just general cardio is important, too), losing weight (it really will make a difference), healthy diet. Sounds boring but it helps.
I've heard people recommend avoiding foods that may exacerbate inflammation (alcohol, spicy foods) but I've never noticed a difference. Also glucosamine/chondroitin didn't help me at all (it made me sick) but many people say it helps.
posted by Pax at 5:24 AM on April 14, 2011
A good physical therapist can recommend exercises specifically tailored to your needs. You mentioned that you like to do projects in your workshop and yard. If you tell the physical therapist what kinds of movements you do most often, he or she can customize an exercise program to strengthen the muscles and ligaments around your arthritic joints, which can help minimize pain and loss of mobility.
This is going to be your solution. Muscle strength and how to properly do things. When we lose muscle strength, we start to abuse our joints to get things done.
I was talking to a guy who had knee replacements, and he mentioned that it was so bad right before the surgery that he had to walk up stairs backwards. Think about how the body is positioned going forwards versus backwards. Most people walk up stairs by sticking their leg out in front of themselves and sort of pulling their body weight forward and up. But if you go up backwards, you retract your leg, move your body weight back, and then push up with your muscles.
Think about your movements like that, where you parse the mechanics of your movement and make sure you are using your muscles to bear weight, and your joints as just hinges for the muscles.
posted by gjc at 7:32 AM on April 14, 2011
This is going to be your solution. Muscle strength and how to properly do things. When we lose muscle strength, we start to abuse our joints to get things done.
I was talking to a guy who had knee replacements, and he mentioned that it was so bad right before the surgery that he had to walk up stairs backwards. Think about how the body is positioned going forwards versus backwards. Most people walk up stairs by sticking their leg out in front of themselves and sort of pulling their body weight forward and up. But if you go up backwards, you retract your leg, move your body weight back, and then push up with your muscles.
Think about your movements like that, where you parse the mechanics of your movement and make sure you are using your muscles to bear weight, and your joints as just hinges for the muscles.
posted by gjc at 7:32 AM on April 14, 2011
I don't eat wheat or tomato or cottage cheese (my triggers). I do eat salmon or tuna and avocado almost every day. That has worked for me for years. But I just turned 50 and I now have to supplement with fish oil capsules. It's as plain as day to me now that no fish oil = pain. I also make sure I get enough Vitamin D. And for women: I just read about a study that says fluctuations in Estrogen will have an effect on joint pain. (so more fish oil when you are high in Estrogen?).
And yoga.
Lack of vitamin D seems to directly affect my knees.
posted by cda at 8:28 AM on April 14, 2011
And yoga.
Lack of vitamin D seems to directly affect my knees.
posted by cda at 8:28 AM on April 14, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. I'm going to give the Pain Free book a read and start walking. I'll also ask for a physical therapist recommendation from my physician.
posted by maxwelton at 6:40 PM on April 14, 2011
posted by maxwelton at 6:40 PM on April 14, 2011
The Pain Free book is awesome. Buy it, do it, and you will be freaking amazed at the results.
posted by fshgrl at 1:01 AM on April 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fshgrl at 1:01 AM on April 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by maxwelton at 9:13 PM on April 13, 2011