Osteoarthritis - need help

StarSong

StarSong

Awkward is my Superpower
Location
Los Angeles Suburbs
Have any of you with osteoarthritis found something that helps prevent it from cropping up in new joints or minimizes its progression? I have it in a few knuckles and am hoping to avoid the rest of them going south. Docs can't do much besides recommending ibuprofen or acetaminophen when they're painful.

I'd love to get some help with meds, supplements and/or alternative healing routes.

Thanks in advance.
 

StarSong said:
Have any of you with osteoarthritis found something that helps prevent it from cropping up in new joints or minimizes its progression? I have it in a few knuckles and am hoping to avoid the rest of them going south. Docs can't do much besides recommending ibuprofen or acetaminophen when they're painful.

I'd love to get some help with meds, supplements and/or alternative healing routes.

Thanks in advance.
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As I recently said to another here.......There is @ this time no real help. It will spread, mine started in my left hip. Now it is in the right one as well, along with left knee & right shoulder. It has also created spinal stenosis. [narrowing of the spinal canal].... And that puts unwanted pressure on the nerves that pass through it. Note.....they ALL pass through it...The latest is ankylosing spondylitis....affecting the curvature of the spine....[creating a bent over posture].

All of this has come over me since the fall of 2015. Hints of it earlier...but not nearly as debilitating, as it is now.

Short of surgery...[which would mean several] I have tried EVERYTHING...up to & including stem cell procedure . Nothing helps, or slows it's progression.

I get by with NSAIDS ....Tylenol & Indomethacin.....but take note....they only take the edge off the pain... they do not stop it. A heating pad can help...temporarily .

The docs say that the rheumatoid arthritis meds do not/will not help with OA, as such they will not prescribe them .

It is truly a rock & hard place situation.........

I wish you the very best......
 
Years back I was told I had Osteopenia after a hip xray, the told me to increase my calcium supplement intake, but I actually dropped taking any calcium supplements, get enough from diet, plus don't want calcification in my arteries giving me strokes.

I have been taking MSM with Glucosamine, Magnesium, omega 3 fish oil and vitamin k2....also Turmeric/Curcumin.

Posted on:
Wednesday, December 19th 2012 at 5:00 am
Written By:
Sayer Ji, Founder

Millions take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) daily for arthritis and related inflammatory conditions, but are completely unaware that far safer, and at least as effective, natural alternatives already exist -- and are as easily accessible and inexpensive as the spices found in your kitchen cupboard.


Human research on the health benefits of turmeric is sparse, mainly due to the lack of capital available to fund expensive clinical trials.http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-extract-puts-drugs-knee-osteoarthritis-shame?page=1#_edn1 Despite many decades of investigation as a lead drug compound, and the availability of thousands of preclinical studies indicating turmeric's therapeutic value, few yet realize that this common kitchen spice may provide a suitable drug alternative for common health conditions.


The latest human study to clinically confirm turmeric's medicinal value was published in the Indonesian Journal of Internal Medicine in April, 2012 and found the curcuminoid extract of turmeric was able to reduce inflammation in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
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Turmeric is very good for inflammation and pain, full article about it here.
 

RGP, thank you for the (brutal) honesty. My mother had spinal stenosis so I know how cripplingly painful that condition can be, though I didn't realize that it might be connected to osteoarthritis. I'm so sorry that you have this is so many areas of your body.

I find that the pain is sometimes relieved by heat and other times a cool damp cloth helps. As you said though, it only eases the pain a bit, it doesn't stop it or the joint swelling. I went to a RA specialist who ruled out RA and concurred with your doc that the meds don't cross over.
 
I'd love to know also, Star song, because 4 of my knuckles are already affected in a ugly way with nodules at the knuckles nearest to my nails ... and I can see it happening in the other fingers as I look at them..

My doctor said to me, your fingers will change and be ugly, but they won't be painful...well he was only half right..they are ugly, and some days they are very painful
 
StarSong said:
RGP, thank you for the (brutal) honesty. My mother had spinal stenosis so I know how cripplingly painful that condition can be, though I didn't realize that it might be connected to osteoarthritis. I'm so sorry that you have this is so many areas of your body.

I find that the pain is sometimes relieved by heat and other times a cool damp cloth helps. As you said though, it only eases the pain a bit, it doesn't stop it or the joint swelling. I went to a RA specialist who ruled out RA and concurred with your doc that the meds don't cross over.
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Taking Epsom Salt baths is something I love to do to relieve aches and pains.
 
Bonnie said:
Taking Epsom Salt baths is something I love to do to relieve aches and pains.
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That is one thing that I have not tried.....because i do not have a bath tub, only a shower.

I have considered the purchase of one of the "walk-in" tubs....just to try the "soak"....they are pricey though!

And if the "soak" is another that is only temporary?.....I'm not sure it would justify the cost?
 
SeaBreeze said:
Years back I was told I had Osteopenia after a hip xray, the told me to increase my calcium supplement intake, but I actually dropped taking any calcium supplements, get enough from diet, plus don't want calcification in my arteries giving me strokes.

I have been taking MSM with Glucosamine, Magnesium, omega 3 fish oil and vitamin k2....also Turmeric/Curcumin.

Turmeric is very good for inflammation and pain, full article about it here.
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Thanks for the link and recommendations. The RA doctor said that the research showed Glucosamine and MSM aren't effective, but I could try it. I did for nearly a year but no change. Now that I think about it though, my OA didn't get any worse during that period which is probably the best I can hope for. Think I start that up again. I'll also look into magnesium and vitamin K2. I eat ground flax seed which is a great source of omega 3, and take turmeric daily.
 
Starsong, I just take those things as a preventative, but using them has helped with lower back strain/pain from heavy lifting in the past and I haven't had any signs of osteoarthritis creeping up on me. I have had a knee injury too which I believe wasn't as bad as it could have been because I was avoiding inflammation. Magnesium oil also helped topically on the knee and Plantar Fasciitis of the foot in the past.
 
rgp said:
That is one thing that I have not tried.....because i do not have a bath tub, only a shower.

I have considered the purchase of one of the "walk-in" tubs....just to try the "soak"....they are pricey though!

And if the "soak" is another that is only temporary?.....I'm not sure it would justify the cost?
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rgp, it relieves, and gives a long period of comforting calm to me ... but of course, doesn't cure anything. Great at bedtime!
 
I have oa all over and I drink flaxmilk with 1200 mg. omega 3 in it per cup. I put it in my coffee. I also use ibuprofen when in a lot of pain but try not to as it's not good for one of my health issues and I know it's not good for some other people as well with certain health issues especially. The flaxmilk seems to help. I get the unsweetened one. Less calories even though the sweetened does not have a whole lot of calories.
 
The otc lidocaine patches seem to help some. And moving the joints helps on keeping them from getting stiff. I found that ibuprofen stopped working as well, so I take Tylenol if it is really bad
 
Ruthanne said:
I have oa all over and I drink flaxmilk with 1200 mg. omega 3 in it per cup. I put it in my coffee. I also use ibuprofen when in a lot of pain but try not to as it's not good for one of my health issues and I know it's not good for some other people as well with certain health issues especially. The flaxmilk seems to help. I get the unsweetened one. Less calories even though the sweetened does not have a whole lot of calories.
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I typically drink almond milk but will give flax milk a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

So far this has only appeared in the knuckles that are second down from my fingertips, but it seems that when one is prone to OA it may start appearing in other areas. My mother suffered terribly with spinal stenosis from roughly age 80 forward and she had a much higher pain tolerance than me. That spinal stenosis may be in my future is a terrifying prospect, what with being such a wimp and all.

SeaBreeze said:
Tart Red Cherry juice is also good for osteoarthritis and other things. Old thread here. https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...int-Pain-and-Gout?highlight=tart+cherry+juice
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I tend to not be a juice drinker but after reading that thread and its links, it sure seems that tart red cherry juice is worthwhile. Thanks for the recommendation! I've also started taking Gucosamine and MSM again since reading your earlier suggestion. I eat a plant based diet, including a boatload of leafy greens each day, which provides lots of K1 that the body then converts to K2, so I'm covered on that score. How much magnesium do you take each day, SeaBreeze, or do you only use the oil?
 
fmdog44 said:
If inflammation is the problem there are tons of foods and drinks to reduce it.
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A few of my knuckle joints are permanently swollen - not sure if that's inflammation or joint damage. Sometimes they hurt a lot, sometimes they only hurt if I squeeze them. I haven't been able to fully fist two of fingers for a couple of years now. I wish I could find a way to fix them but fear there is nothing that can be done.
 
I would recommend trying a good magnesium oil to rub on your knuckles, regardless of the cause of the swelling and pain, it can only help IMO. Of course, it has a high concentration of natural salts, so you can't rub your eyes with your hands if you do use it. It's a little expensive but lasts a long time, the best quality mag oil I've used was purchased here.

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Marie5656 said:
The otc lidocaine patches seem to help some. And moving the joints helps on keeping them from getting stiff. I found that ibuprofen stopped working as well, so I take Tylenol if it is really bad
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Star, I agree with Marie that Lidocaine helps relieve the pain for a while. I have R/A and use Aspercreme with Lidocaine all the time to relieve pain in my joints including my hands and fingers. It's fairly inexpensive and I keep a bottle at work and at home. There is also the CBD balm that works well and has been discussed extensively here, but that's a bit on the expensive side. I also use grip strengtheners to help keep my hands and fingers flexible and strong. I find that daily exercise with light weights helps to keep me a bit more limber and also keeps the muscles from weakening and putting more stress on the joints. Unfortunately I've never had much luck with any of the natural remedies, (turmeric, glucosamine, fish oil etc).

Good Luck to you!
 
I have some CBD balm but it didn't seem to help much. Perhaps I wasn't using it regularly enough - does it build up in one's system rather than being a single-dose reliever like ibuprofen?

I'll give magnesium oil a go. I can afford to waste $20 if it isn't effective, if it's even slightly effective it will be well worth the cost and effort. Thanks for the tip about not rubbing my eyes - that would be an uncomfortable lesson to learn firsthand.
 
StarSong said:
I have some CBD balm but it didn't seem to help much. Perhaps I wasn't using it regularly enough - does it build up in one's system rather than being a single-dose reliever like ibuprofen?

I'll give magnesium oil a go. I can afford to waste $20 if it isn't effective, if it's even slightly effective it will be well worth the cost and effort. Thanks for the tip about not rubbing my eyes - that would be an uncomfortable lesson to learn firsthand.
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The CBD balm and CBD drops don't work for everyone. The balm works great for me, but not so much for my wife. The drops didn't work for either of us. Gary O's wife had great results with the CBD oil drops. What type and strength of CBD balm were you using? Can you post a link to it?
 
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