Osteoarthritis in knees

[Dan Morinary]

I've been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in my knees, the right one is causing the most problems. Getting x ray today to find out the extent of it.
My job is manual work and it really does not help the situation! Bloody grinding pain is getting to me now!
Looking at a couple of old threads, I see I am not alone.
I'm no athlete, but I love cycling and I'm concerned the effect this will have. GP states, unless problem is chronic, I'm too young for knee replacement. (I'm over 50, this has to be the only thing in the world I'm considered young for!)
I'm really worried about work, can't afford not to, but will look for something a bit kinder on my old bones. I don't want to lose my cycling, has anyone found certain coping mechanisms or tips to help?

 

[ColinJ]

Are you significantly overweight, Dan?

When I weighed 17+ stone, I was getting such bad knee pain that I had to walk downstairs backwards because it was gentler on the knees.

I now weigh less than 14 stone and the pain has completely gone.

 

[Dan Morinary]

No Colin, I'm 6 foot tall and under 11 stone, I'm like a rake! Think it's just wear and tear. I played football til quite late in life and years of manual work have caught up. I've just put up with the pain for ages, but now it's really getting bad. Can feel the grinding when my knees bend and it seems to be deteriorating quite fast.

 

[ColinJ]

No Colin, I'm 6 foot tall and under 11 stone, I'm like a rake! Think it's just wear and tear. I played football til quite late in life and years of manual work have caught up. I've just put up with the pain for ages, but now it's really getting bad. Can feel the grinding when my knees bend and it seems to be deteriorating quite fast.

Oh, well losing weight isn't an option then!

There isn't definite proof, but there is anecdotal 'evidence' that glucosamine sulphate and cod liver oil supplements may ease symptoms of OA. I had developed painful hips in my 30s with x-rays confirming that OA was setting in. My dad was crippled by it in his hips. He used one walking stick in his 50s, two in his early 60s (my age now!), and could barely walk by the age of 70. I have been taking the supplements for about 25 years and my hips hurt less now than they did when I was 35. I could stop the supplements to see what happened, but I think I will not take the chance!

 

[Dan Morinary]

Cheers. I'm off for further x ray on right knee at 2:15. Need to find out what doctors recommend after result.
Getting older has just ambushed me in the last year, everything falling to bits or dropping off!
Will have a look at supplements, thanks.

 

[vickster]

Cycling and swimming are the best exercise for knees. Also important to have all of the muscles working as they should. If cycling is your main sport, find a sports physio who has a special interest in cycling, they should be good with knees too as a result

You probably could find a surgeon to do a knee replacement if considered a candidate, but you'd have to pay (around £8-15k a knee depending on type of implant, surgeon, hospital etc)
You might even find one on the NHS but they prefer not to do in the under 60s as you're likely to need some sort of redo/revision as they don't last forever

There are other surgical options, like realignment and partial replacements if the arthritis is limited to one compartment of the knee

There are other options if not too severe, such as hyaluronic acid injections, these help lubricate the joint and reduce inflammation. Work for me. Some NHS surgeons will offer, or again you can pay. I'd avoid steroids unless a lot of swelling and inflammation, a temporary fix. Can use pain meds under your GPs direction of course

There's a very good forum for knee conditions, with loads of info if interested
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php

Supplement wise, no strong evidence, but they might help in the right doses - Omega 3, glucosamine + chondroitin + MSM (avoid all if allergic to fish/seafood)

I have damage in the left knee and some in the right. Good luck, bad knees suck

 

[dim]

a recumbent trike that has hand pedals might be a good option aswell (divide the riding between a normal bike and the recumbent?

 

[mjr]

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/...cises-to-manage-pain/knee-pain-exercises.aspx and - as well as cycling - some say Pilates is good strengthening for knees and other joints, but don't do too much too soon - don't get competitive and feel you must do all the exercises in full the first session.

 

[Dan Morinary]

Cycling and swimming are the best exercise for knees. Also important to have all of the muscles working as they should. If cycling is your main sport, find a sports physio who has a special interest in cycling, they should be good with knees too as a result

You probably could find a surgeon to do a knee replacement if considered a candidate, but you'd have to pay (around £8-15k a knee depending on type of implant, surgeon, hospital etc)
You might even find one on the NHS but they prefer not to do in the under 60s as you're likely to need some sort of redo/revision as they don't last forever

There are other surgical options, like realignment and partial replacements if the arthritis is limited to one compartment of the knee

There are other options if not too severe, such as hyaluronic acid injections, these help lubricate the joint and reduce inflammation. Work for me. Some NHS surgeons will offer, or again you can pay. I'd avoid steroids unless a lot of swelling and inflammation, a temporary fix. Can use pain meds under your GPs direction of course

There's a very good forum for knee conditions, with loads of info if interested
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php

Supplement wise, no strong evidence, but they might help in the right doses - Omega 3, glucosamine + chondroitin + MSM (avoid all if allergic to fish/seafood)

I have damage in the left knee and some in the right. Good luck, bad knees suck

Thank you, very informative. I'm hoping damage is localised and can be treated.
Unfortunately £8 to 15k a bit prohibitive at the moment for private treatment!
Will check out forum. Thanks.

 

[Dan Morinary]

a recumbent trike that has hand pedals might be a good option aswell (divide the riding between a normal bike and the recumbent?

Unfortunately my left wrist was smashed to bits and, despite hip bone and steel, wouldn't take too kindly to this!
Looking at other people's experiences, I'm sure I still have a good few years turning the pedals!
Cheers for reply. My wife has never been too impressed when I add to the bike collection, I'm imagining her face as I proudly unveil my new recumbent!

 

[Dan Morinary]

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/...cises-to-manage-pain/knee-pain-exercises.aspx and - as well as cycling - some say Pilates is good strengthening for knees and other joints, but don't do too much too soon - don't get competitive and feel you must do all the exercises in full the first session.

Thanks for link. Will look into Pilates. The moral here, I think, is if your going to smash your body about when young and invincible, it's going to be payback time as you age!

 

[Dan Morinary]

You got to take the positives, had a nice bike ride to and from hospital instead of being in work. Coming home gave me the chance to realise things could be worse than dodgy knees!

 

[Alan5616]

I've been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in my knees, the right one is causing the most problems. Getting x ray today to find out the extent of it.
My job is manual work and it really does not help the situation! Bloody grinding pain is getting to me now!
Looking at a couple of old threads, I see I am not alone.
I'm no athlete, but I love cycling and I'm concerned the effect this will have. GP states, unless problem is chronic, I'm too young for knee replacement. (I'm over 50, this has to be the only thing in the world I'm considered young for!)
I'm really worried about work, can't afford not to, but will look for something a bit kinder on my old bones. I don't want to lose my cycling, has anyone found certain coping mechanisms or tips to help?

A year ago I was diagnosed with a similar condition. The cartilage in my left knee has worn away. I couldn't stand up, or sit down, without holding onto a table or arm of a chair. What worked for me was to strengthen my quads and lose weight. I dropped from 16-8 to 14-5 in a few months. Apparently, according to some experts, for every 1lb you lose from the upper body, takes 4lb of weight from the knee joints. I still have some pain but, can now sit down and get up from the floor without too much problem. Something that I couldn't have considered a year ago. I hope this helps.

 

[Dan Morinary]

Thanks Alan. I actually can't really afford to lose weight, don't have any to spare! My job does not help matters, it has definitely contributed to the problem, and hurts more each passing month. Will find out how bad things are next week. I've changed my cycling style, no more grinding away on the big ring, more spinning now. Find that has helped.

 

[dbeattie]

I got my knees checked out by an orthopaedic surgeon a few years ago. X rays indicated arthritis in both. The advice he gave me was take vitamin d and omega 3, don't get fat, keep fit.

Since then I've looked into it a bit and came up with various people saying that most of the pain in arthritic joints comes from inflammation in tendons and isometric exercises will help.

I have a routine that I do every day. My knees feel much better now than they did 5 years ago.