Recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

So sorry you are having these issues. I'm 60 and just had a knee replacement and two yrs ago had a hip replacement. This type of arthritis eats away at the cart ledge in between your joints. I've had had people say excerise to help, which excerise makes it worse. I've had the shots and used a lot of black pepper essence oil with a carrier oil helped me a lot. Somedays I'd mix other oils beside the black pepper. I'm not liking hearing that my new knee could wear out when I'm older......I had to have surgery done, was in so much pain bone on bone. Good luck and yes wear a brace that helps.

Sorry bout that, hit the wrong button, meant for op....small phone, one bad eye....

Ruthieruth: My answer was to the OP. Thanks for adding to it!

Sorry for all the typos, my hands are bad now and my phone is really small!

I have done all of above. Also. This is not medical advice by any means, but check out Bowen Therapy. Its a little bit new agey, and I was incredibly sceptical, and oh my goodness. It really helped. Basically it was invented in viet nam as an alternative to morphine...but it is not a dug. Its a sort of cross between massage and acupuncture. Its sort of hard to find a place to get it done because it works so well. .if a person needs more than six treatments then the practitioner is not doing it right. I had bome on bone end stage pain, and while thos dooes not cure it, the heory behind it is that it lets the nerves completely rest so the pain stops, and he body can strt to heal. I did not get cured...eventually I needed a replacement...but honestly, after not being able to put pressure on m foot for months, the day ayer one treatments, I wanted to shoot hoops. The hard part was not acting on that impulse! The other thing thats a bit off the wall that I got some relief from is edgar Cayce golden rasin cure....nine golden rasins in vidka...soak those for forreen das and have only nine a day....blot the alcohol off before ingesting and drink with a full glass of disilled wager.. he has a lot of stuff online that is pretty out of the ordinary, but that honestly did help me. The maun thing is to really listen to your own body. One thing that my doctor said that was helpful...a lot of folks and a lot of doctors will have opinions and advice...wether its relared to weight or inflamation...etc....he said look at my x rays over time and learn to gauge my own pain...and keep cpies of my x rays and my pain scales...if there are structural changes....ie the bones get closer together, the kneecap slips, etc..(ask your doc to show you) you can learn for your own body if it is helped by exercise or rest, injections or braces...there are ways to tape it, ways to ice....for me, I was very heavy when I was diagnosed, and my doc said do not listen to people who say this will get better with weight loss, it might, a little, but your injury on the x ray is here and here and you are not fat here." He was right. Exercise helped me stay flexible and have full range of motion and strength, but had nothing to do with the arthritis, per se. Your case may be different. I love a good swim, too! Good luck! And jets from a hot tub do work on scar tissue :)

#1 Get an appointment with an orthopedist STAT and #2 Find out if you're a candidate for corticosteroids, e.g. cortisone injections.

Try this simple exercise that was recommended to me by a bone specialist. Sit straight in a chair and lift your leg so that you are holding it out straight. Work your way up to be able to easily count slowly to 15 each day while holding this position. Do each leg separately. It is a simple exercise but it really strengthens the knee. I have done this for years and I am 80 now. I have osteoporosis and my knees are fine.

Oh, I forgot about one of the most painful foods to eat for joints (when you are older). Tomatoes. Try not eating tomatoes and see if you are better...

Linda makes a good point about non-inflammatory foods. It's surprising how many foods that are commonly eaten are actually inflammatory ones. I've found that refined flour and sugar products fall in that category, although they don't cause problems with my joints, just my breathing.

My ortho doctor also recommend glucosamine chondroitin, double strength. I did some research on the MSM often added and based on what I read that it causes an odor, I decided against it.

Linda, have your found that the MSM odor is a problem? I see gluco/chondroitin so often with MSM but the article I read has always prevented me from trying it.

I also take fish oil, flaxseed oil and salmon oil and have found that salmon oil is hands down most effective for my knees. I tried d/c/ing it once to see what would happen; in 2 - 3 weeks my knees were complaining and making it clear that they weren't happy.

I also use an excellent homeopathic muscle salve that provides instant relief for back pain (a/k/a gardening pain) and have used it on my knees, but generally I haven't really had much knee pain other than for specific injuries so I'm not in a position to suggest how something like this or other treatments such as arnica help chronic pain.

I used to have a house with stairs. My left knee got really bad with pain. However, now that I have a single storey home, I got hyaluronic acid injections in my knee which builds collagen and lubricates the knee joint. Try that. I am pain-free now.

PTs are the best people to talk to. They have such a good working knowledge of the body. They can advise exercise, hot cold treatment, braces etc. With the right combination you may be able to hold off on more agressive treatment. Best to you..hugs

Wearing an over-the-counter knee brace for a few hours a day can help a lot. Wear it the most when climbing a lot of steps or lifting.
Bracing helps the joint heal.

Joint replacement is a last resort, especially when you are under 60. They can wear out and having a second when you are quite old isn't a good idea if it can be avoided.

Good suggestions across the board!
Carol

I too, have very bad Osteoarthritis in both knees. I may well try the Synvisc injection 3 shot series here soon, but first have to get insurance authorizations. There are differing opinions on their effectiveness, but everybody is different. I have had a lot of PT, and find heat and cold therapy helpful, depending on the situation. Ice packs, after a long time standing, and stairs, especially going down, are very difficult for me. Nighttime pain is the worst for me, as it keeps me up at night. I have been told by my Rheumatologist that I need both knees replaced, but I am waiting as long as possible, as they too wear out in time, and you may need to have them done a second time. My daughter is getting married in October, so I am definitely waiting until after that, as I couldn't bare the thought of having complications from surgery. I may have my left one Scoped, to see if there are any floating bits yhat could be removed, and edges smoothed over, but that's all I'll attempt surgically for now. It's terrible pain, and my Mom had her knee replaced, with good results, so in the meantime, I'm going to try to lose weight as I know this is a contributing factor! It really hard! I feel for you!

There are also foods that have anti-inflammatory properties - various nuts, fruits, vegetables can help. I avoid my triggers, eat a lot of the good foods and take glucosamine/MSM/chondroitin. Doing these these three things has kept me off of NSAIDs and other arthritis meds, while still being able to do normal daily activities.

Food can also trigger inflammation in nonarthritic joints as well.

GA's suggestion about the food triggers may sound odd to you, but it is in fact true for me and a couple people I know. Dairy is my big trigger. I know - sounds nuts, but true. It inflammes my finger joints and knees.

Healthcare Canada will probably require you try injections of synovial fluid or go through PT before they will approve a knee replacement. I am in the US, but my insurance company wanted knee replacement to be a last resort and I had to be over 60. The surgeon said if I could lose 40lbs, that would help.

What does your orthopedic doctor have to say about AESM? I'm not familiar with it, but I would try PT first, along with modalities such as heat or warmth, depending on what a physical therapist suggests.

There are also certain foods that can aggravate arthritis; you might want to research to learn more about that and avoid triggering foods.

Sometimes therapeutic treatments include swimming exercise; some therapy facilities do have water facilities like hot tubs.