Hi, I am 55 and have bad osteoarthritis in my big toes and mild in my hands and knees. At least I thought it was mild until this week. My rght knee became very painful on Tuesday and has worsened as the week has gone on. Today it felt as if it was going to give way especially when I'm going downstairs.
Does anyone else get this? It seems a very fast deterioration and I'm concerned that it may be something other than my OA. Especially as my gait is starnge because of my bad feet. I walk on my heels and the outside of my feet to avoid putting pressure on my big toes. Now I am wondering whether this has caused me muscle damage. The top of my tibia is very painful when I press on it.
I have a GP appointment on Monday but I'm wondering whether it's more urgent than that and what I should do in the mean time
Hi! I feel your pain! I have OA in both knees and the right one is the worst and yes pain does go down a little farther from the knee. My ortho said its all related like bursitis. Mine hurts worse when I drive. I'm trying to do water walking and losing weight plus meds. We are too young for knee replacements. I know I will have to have one someday but I'm using other methods first. Ice helps! Hope you feel better.
Thanks. It just seems to have happened so quickly. This time last week it was a bit stiff and achy. Now it hurts like hell when I turn it a certain way and I have to hang on to things when I get out of bed. I'll try the ice
I noticed over a period of a few months that I would wake up in the middle of the night and both of my knees would be hurting right below the knee. So weird. Then this past January I was walking to get a salad at work and I felt this twinge in my right knee that didn't go away. I have psoriatic arthritis so I went to my rheumatologist and they did X-rays of both knees and the MRI on the right one that was giving me the most trouble. Sure enough OA in both knees bone on bone.
I went to an orthopedic doctor and tried the gel on in April. It did nothing. I always drive with ice packs on a little cooler. My commute is long and the ice does help. The gel ice packs are easier when you are driving.
It's good to have a place to talk with others that are going through similar things.
It's scary how quick they go. I don't drive so I don't know how I'l manage if this doesn't ease up. Plus I'm on my feet all day at work. I also have a horse who I won't be able to manage like this!
This coulld mean such big life changes. I may still go to a and e tomorrow as I'll get an xray quicker. I don't have a rheumatologist, just a biomechanic for my feet. He did warn me that my gait would impact on my legs and back and when I see him next month we are discussing fusion for my toes. I might have left this too late.
It is lovely having somone to understand and who has been there
My knee is worse when I go downstairs
your right when u say it`s nice having some one who`s been there.I joined last wk after a diagnosis of OA in my knee. Already have it in my body and up untill 6mnths ago only affected my hands I`ve been to skeg today from nottingham and as we took my inlaws I was relegated to the back seat as my mother in law is disabled so has the front. omg the pain in my knees was unbearable. stoppped hlf way to allow me to stretch my legs. As in the other day when I could only manage a 6 hr shift my whole body seeems to be stiff and aching when we got home.
I may be wrong but I think a rheumatologist only deal with RA. I see a orthopeadic surgeon.
It's an awful illness. I get so tired but I put it down to doing a constant balancing act in order to avoid putting any pressure on my big toes. This, apparently, is what has caused my recent aggressive knee pain. My gait is so odd that it is having a detrimental effect on my ligaments. I went to the urgent care centre today as I had to hang on to things to avoid falling over when I got out of bed.
The Dr said that I need to see a physio and that with a balance of rest and simple excercise like walking I should be ok in a few days but it will come back repeatedly until my feet are sorted out. I see my biomechanic next month and I'm going to have to agree to seeing a surgeon about getting my big toes fused. So I will lose my job as I have had other health problems recently and they will definitely not allow me any lengthy sick leave. My only hope there is that I might be able to take a year's unpaid leave but I have my doubts.
But it could be worse. My biomechanic is very positive that a surgeon will agree to operate. Plus if my OA in my knees had worsened then I'd lose my job and my horse.
I hate being like this as I get bored stiff stuck in the house. When I'm out I look at people 20 years older than me who seem to be bombing along the pavement and think it's just not fair. Totally selfish I know but I don't know how I have this. I've never been overweight, I exercise (when I'm up to it) and my parents never suffered from it. I didn't even wear high heels very often when I was younger.
It's completely demoralising isn't it. Today as in the other day I've been resigned to my bed. I thought it was only ra that made u feel ill. Yet it seems the past 3 times I've been on my feet for a few hrs I've later had flu like symptoms. Temp. Feel sick and whole body aches. I worry about my job too. I know disability is so hard to get and pays a pittance
Exactly. Plus retirement age is being raised and raised which is ok if you're an MP and can just go to work and sit and doze off when you feel like it
HI Lesley,
what u describe could be OA or a torn meniscus. Your GP can do either a X-ray or other tests for a solid diagnosis.
GOOD LUCK
HOPE
Thanks, Hope.
I saw my GP today and he has referred me for physio. He still isn't keen on surgery and my biomechanic is much more clued up on my OA so I'll talk to him next month. It's damage to a ligament. The GP doesn't seem to understand that if I have damaged it through walking on the sides of my feet to avoid pain in my toes then it's not going to heal properly until the pain in my toes is gone. It sometimes feels like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.
I've been having problems with my knees (initially just Mt right knee ) for some time. I went on holiday to Dubrovnik a couple of weeks ago and can barely walk at all now. There were 180 steps and a steep hill from our apartment into the town which has completely wrecked my knees. We have been home almost 2 weeks and they're not feeling any better.
My Gp told me that steep hills and stairs are the worst for damage to the inside ligament and that I must avoid them for now. I am on 30mg codeine and 2 paracetemol every 4 hours and that is helping but my knee is agony when I get up and still feels as if it could give way.
Is it you knees of ligaments? The inside of my knee has swelling beneath it but is not red or hot so he decided that it was muscular and not arthritis
I have OA in both knees and a torn meniscus in my right knee. I also take codeine and paracetamol plus naproxen but it doesn't really touch the pain. I take dihydracodeine just before bed too. I am seeing my orthopaedic surgeon on the 23rd june qnd hopefully he will list me for a tkr of my right knee. I'm getting quite down as I feel almost housebound as even walking a couple of yards or standing for more than 3 or 4 minutes is agony.
I too am seeing a doctor tomorrow. A few weeks ago he diagnosed osteoarthritis in my fingers.
My index one is the worst, it became very inflamed and blisters formed, but very little pus was released when the doctor checked. It appears in my case to be heredity. I know that my mother had it in her hands but little else. I have no other family members to ask it it progressed to other areas. My mum was 56 when she passed away from a heart attaick, I too was 56 this month.
about 6 years ago I was also ddiagnosed with a liver condition. This resulted in my having a stent in place to assist my liver.
Problem is, due to the liver condition, I cannot take any over the counter pain medicine.
three days ago my left knee gave way under me. The pain is extreemly high and I can hardly walk upstairs or bend the knee. I'm hoping it's something other than osteoarthritis
what treatment is available if it is?
If it is OA I'm not sure. The arthritis in my knees isn't too bad and that's why I was so concerned about the sudden deterioration. This looks to be caused by the odd way I walk which in turn is caused by the bad OA in my big toes.
Your condition sounds like mine which was/is due to ligament and muscle strain. I was told to rest my legs as much as possible for a week and to avoid stairs and hills as much as possible. It is now a lot better but not 100%. I see a physio in just over a week so I'll see what she says
Hope this helps
My dr also sent me to a podiatrist to help fit me with arches. As we age our arches fall and change the dynamics of our feet. Good shoes with soft support and resting feet helps a lot.
i have to admit my shoes were a big help once I found the right combination for me as well as arch supports. It also effects the whole body. Back hips Knees & ankles.
Also freeze a water bottle and roll under arches in a sitting position helps the knees stay in the slots the tendons provide for the knee cap and arches and feet.
Try knee bends. Feet out slightly and bend up and down . This helps strengthen the tendon that supports the knee cap. Use a counter top for support until you can do them without leaning on anything for support.
This really got my knees back. Hope you can too! It takes time and after a few weeks I noticed the difference. Starting out with a few knee bends holding on to counter to doing 35 per knee without holding on to a chair or counter.
Physio in water is also a goo way to help knee injuries and provide strengthening for feet as well as al joints.
Thank you. I fear my arches are going as well as I seem to curl my toes under when I walk. I'll try knee bends and water bottle tomorrow
Very important to see a podiatrist to fell with adding arches to shoes. As the arches fail and fall as we age the fatty deposits that cushion our feet also fail .
i have tried shots in my feet and the best fix for the pain is arches spring shoes and good walking genies as well as rest.