Arthritis

[ODogg]

Re: Arthritis

Glucosamine and Chondroitin is a life saver for me. I have a lot of knee and back problems and taking those daily pills helps tremendously. Even though there's no medical proof that they help I think it's worth a shot to try.

For me personally I know there isn't a placebo effect, I've gone on and off them numerous times in the last 6-7 years and every time I go off them for a few weeks my knees starting constantly aching. After taking them again for a few days the pain subsides.

I buy Trader Joe's brand, it's $20 for a good sized bottle. I take two pills per day.

How many milligrams are each pill that you take?

[mattsb84]

Re: Arthritis

Sort of dealing with this myself now, but in my back. I have a genetic condition in which my spine is fused to my sacrum on the right side (l5/s1). This has caused more stress at l4/l5 leading to the facet joints to wear down quickly and a bulging disc. My condition is something you would generally see in older people simply from wear and tear, its just accelerated for me. Most days my back is stiff, and my range of motion isn't what it would be for a normal person.

I found the above out when I finally got tired of my back feeling like crap every day and went to my doctor. The doctor had me start physical therapy, which helped a bit, but then we went with an xray to see what was happening. That lead to the discovery of the fusion. Then I saw a back specialist who sent me for an MRI which confirmed the fusion and also a bulging disc. More PT was recommended and I was given a list of possible procedures that would block the pain signals in my back. Before I could get any of those procedures done though, I'd have to get nerve blocks done to confirm that's where the pain was originating. I just recently got the first set done (6 injections, 3 each side) and it was amazing how much better I felt immediately afterwards, but then even better in 3 days. The injection sites were quite sore though. But basically, I'm screwed. I can't fix this permanently, just get blocks done or procedures to "kill" the nerves. It sucks, but thats life.

So basically, to answer your questions;
Depending on what the drs told you, there should have been an expected time table for recovery and a plan of action for what to do in case recovery did not occur as expected. Talk to them about it if that timeline has come and gone and no change has occurred. If you're still within that time line, keep working with the PT and be patient. There were several days where my back would flare up really badly where neither sitting nor standing would relieve stress. Just gotta suck it up and soldier on. I've been in PT for 4 months now and from the time I started to before I got those injections, pain was reduced by about 60-70%, but I could still tell something wasn't right(which lead to the injections). So if that's what you're feeling, tell your dr that as well. It'll take time regardless, just gotta be patient and keep working.

[ehh]

Re: Arthritis

How many milligrams are each pill that you take?

I think it's 800 or 900 but not sure. I can check tonight.

[ehh]

Re: Arthritis

Sort of dealing with this myself now, but in my back. I have a genetic condition in which my spine is fused to my sacrum on the right side (l5/s1). This has caused more stress at l4/l5 leading to the facet joints to wear down quickly and a bulging disc. My condition is something you would generally see in older people simply from wear and tear, its just accelerated for me. Most days my back is stiff, and my range of motion isn't what it would be for a normal person.

I found the above out when I finally got tired of my back feeling like crap every day and went to my doctor. The doctor had me start physical therapy, which helped a bit, but then we went with an xray to see what was happening. That lead to the discovery of the fusion. Then I saw a back specialist who sent me for an MRI which confirmed the fusion and also a bulging disc. More PT was recommended and I was given a list of possible procedures that would block the pain signals in my back. Before I could get any of those procedures done though, I'd have to get nerve blocks done to confirm that's where the pain was originating. I just recently got the first set done (6 injections, 3 each side) and it was amazing how much better I felt immediately afterwards, but then even better in 3 days. The injection sites were quite sore though. But basically, I'm screwed. I can't fix this permanently, just get blocks done or procedures to "kill" the nerves. It sucks, but thats life.

How expensive are the injections? I've had basically the same thing (Spondylosisthesis L4/L5 and facet syndrome) since I was 18 years old. It killed my college basketball career and I haven't had a pain free day since.

My back is tight, hamstrings are tight, limited range of motion, etc. Some sciatic on bad days. Foam rollers, stretches and core work is my usual routine but it still doesn't make me feel normal. On a normal day I do hamstring stretches 4-5 times per day. Hit the foam roller 2-3 times. That's just to make it through a day, doesn't take athletics into account. I tell ya, it SUCKS. But as you said, such is life. Could be worse...

[KG]

Re: Arthritis

I have tendonitis in my left knee and ankle. You have to be careful with some of those exercises like leg extensions that put a lot of pressure on the joints. If you have to do them do light weight and high reps. Some days are good, some are bad. Those supplements ehh mentioned should help as well anti-inflammatory medication.

[mattsb84]

Re: Arthritis

How expensive are the injections? I've had basically the same thing (Spondylosisthesis L4/L5 and facet syndrome) since I was 18 years old. It killed my college basketball career and I haven't had a pain free day since.

My back is tight, hamstrings are tight, limited range of motion, etc. Some sciatic on bad days. Foam rollers, stretches and core work is my usual routine but it still doesn't make me feel normal. On a normal day I do hamstring stretches 4-5 times per day. Hit the foam roller 2-3 times. That's just to make it through a day, doesn't take athletics into account. I tell ya, it SUCKS. But as you said, such is life. Could be worse...

Hmm..not sure, I got the procedure done at back specialists office, so it only cost me 35$. Insurance should cover the rest. And it took several months to get to that point. 3 months of PT got me the Xray. Another month of PT got me the MRI and some anti-inflams (helped minimally). Another month of PT got me the nerve blocks..finally. The blocks can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. So once they wear off, I'll go back, get another round done. Once that 2nd round wears off, insurance will then cover the longer term pain management treatments (need two positive results from the nerve blocks).

I pretty much do exactly what you do with stretching/foam rolling. It does help quite a bit, but again, its just another tool for pain management. I can still go to the gym though and be active, no restrictions right now.

[roadman]

Re: Arthritis

Bringing this back up.

Feared, how's it going on your end? PT finished I'm assuming.

I feel on my knee twice in two weeks last July on hard concrete, once on our steps and once in the basement helping carrying a water heater.

Knee bone(patella) was bruised, but I could walk fine. Over the past several months, my knee was in pain whenever I was on the floor or just in a kneeling position. Have a physical coming up in April, but decided to check this out. Dr. thought it was Chronomela (sp?), but decided to order an MRI in case of a cracked patella.

Glad I had the MRI.

Torn meniscus and a slight tear of a back tendon. Holy crap! I guess it's pretty common. My doctor has had it three times and surgery twice and my nurse had it done once. Doc said it's about a month of recovery with PT.

Unbelievable, a sports related injury over my own clumsiness.

[24]

Re: Arthritis

Think I'm getting arthritis in my wrist, either that or carpal tunnel. It's wierd too I went through an entire battery of tests for the issue late last year (Around October) and I was told by different doctors I was fine. It makes loud cracking sounds and feels weak after usage.

Here was the medical breakdown

Got an MRI on my wrist Nothing abnormal. Grip is a little weak but can't find anything wrong other than that, and my index finger not having much resistance when pushed (No clue what this meant but the Hand doctor said that it shouldn't be happening.

Sent to a nerve specialist because hand guy says there could be a problem related to the nerves in my arm. Sent for an MRI on my elbow with the color thingy. Nothing wrong. Get some elctrode test done where they put sensors on your arms and send electrical impulses through the nervous system. Results are normal

Despite all of this the problem still remains. Still have weakness in my wrist, still feels tired after using it, and still have the very loud cracking sound.