Question for folks with arthritis in their knee

[MissMolly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravitySucks I tripped over the dog in August and the right leg got messed up good. It kept getting better every day than 3 weeks ago just screaming knee pain. Went to the PCP and he said torn maniscus (sp?) and told me to go to Ortho for an MRI. Got to Ortho today and was told no MRI till an x-ray. X-ray shows sever osteoarthritis. Not bad enough for surgery, to bad to bother if it's a torn maniscus. He gave me a Cortisone shot and he said it may take three weeks to work. Naproxine and ibuprofen for now. OP, how'd the CBD creme work for you?

Meh. I don't really think it did anything for my knee. I also have arthritis in my left thumb that is really painful at times. I also used it on that and it *may* have helped ease the pain, or it may have just been wishful thinking. But both seem to have settled down in the past few weeks to where the knee is not really problem and the thumb is better, although always present. I seem to go in cycles with the level of pain. I don't know if that's normal or not. Thanks for asking

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montecfo Not to hijack the thread Chuckanut, but what type of stationary bike have you used? I am needing one to fend off TAR. Knees still ok.

My stationary bike is a throwback to the old days and a true LBYM purchase. It is a Sunny brand bike. No electric anything on it. It's basically a big 40 pound flywheel up front, and adjustments for tension, seat position and handle bar position. Very simple. Mine is well over a dozen years old. Here is their current model of a similar bike:

https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/colle...-exercise-bike

FWIW, my experience with it was if I pedaled at least four times a week, my knee did not bother me much. If I slacked off for a few weeks, my knee would start throbbing from time to time, its way of telling me to get back on the bike. From what I understand, pedaling a bike stimulates the production of lubricating fluid in the knee which kept me going despite being bone on bone. YMMV.

I knew the time was near for the knee replacement when the pedaling no longer worked very well.

FWIW, I tried cortisone shots, but only the first few worked. Besides there is evidence that cortisone shots, over time, will weaken other parts of the knee. Not so good.

[jim584672]

Naproxen is good for pain. Ibuprofen is good too, but shorter duration. If you want fancypants go with Celebrex (celecoxib).

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim584672 Naproxen is good for pain. Ibuprofen is good too, but shorter duration. If you want fancypants go with Celebrex (celecoxib).

They all work but I recently read some good science that said plain old aspirin stays in your system slightly longer than either ibuprofen or naproxen. So that’s what I use most of the time.

[Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 I have not found anything OTC that helps with the osteoarthritis pain. I understand that some folks take 2 Aleve and 1 (one ) ibuprofen at the same time and that helps. That did not work for me.

+1
I had a knee replacement a few years ago once the pain got so bad I couldn't walk anymore. I tried every OTC meds with no luck. I also have a fused back and a shoulder that will need replacing in the not so distant future. Pain in my back, shoulder, leg, and hands are a constant. So far tried all the OTC a number of times and cortisone injections (eventually this makes the joint deterioration worse over time.). I have had a number of stem cell treatments which did not make a difference since the joints were too far gone. I have been on opiates a number of times which helped a little but I didn't like all the side effects. Got off of those with the help of medical cannabis. Some relief but no side effects other than relaxation and a little buzz. Since I don't like to use OTC meds or opiates for pain due to the many potential side effects to my liver, kidneys, etc. There isn't much on the market that is safe to use for one reason or another. But when you are in pain you will try anything even if it is only slightly effective.


My knee replacement allows me to walk but I always have a tight feeling in the joint but at least not painful. The pain in 4 other joints keeps me searching.


Others may have better experiences/successes. Hope you are one of them.


Cheers!

[Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut My stationary bike is a throwback to the old days and a true LBYM purchase. It is a Sunny brand bike. No electric anything on it. It's basically a big 40 pound flywheel up front, and adjustments for tension, seat position and handle bar position. Very simple. Mine is well over a dozen years old. Here is their current model of a similar bike: https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/colle...-exercise-bike FWIW, my experience with it was if I pedaled at least four times a week, my knee did not bother me much. If I slacked off for a few weeks, my knee would start throbbing from time to time, its way of telling me to get back on the bike. From what I understand, pedaling a bike stimulates the production of lubricating fluid in the knee which kept me going despite being bone on bone. YMMV. I knew the time was near for the knee replacement when the pedaling no longer worked very well. FWIW, I tried cortisone shots, but only the first few worked. Besides there is evidence that cortisone shots, over time, will weaken other parts of the knee. Not so good.

+1
I do the same thing but with a stationary recumbent. If I could ride a regular stationary bike I would seriously consider the one you have. A 40 pound flywheel with mechanical controls should last a very long time and the price is great. My stationary recumbent cost about 5X that one.


Cheers!

[jim584672]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister They all work but I recently read some good science that said plain old aspirin stays in your system slightly longer than either ibuprofen or naproxen. So that’s what I use most of the time.

The half-life of aspirin is 3-4 hours, naproxen is 12-17 hours, ibuprofen is 2 hours, celecoxib is 12 hours. Aspirin has a lot of bleeding risks.

[W2R]

After my total knee replacement in August, my surgeon prescribed pills that contained both hydrocodone (an opiate) and acetaminophen in the same pill. Those were great, but I didn't take many of them even the first week, and quit taking them entirely shortly after that because I didn't need that much pain control. (I know, I know, I was one of the lucky ones.)

Then, for a month and a half, I didn't sleep for more than an hour or two most nights! It was worse than engineering school. At first I could not figure out why. Turned out that because I am a very light sleeper who does some major flopping around while asleep, my *extremely* mild, almost imperceptible pain at that point, was keeping me from sleeping. I tried one of the prescription pain pills and slept like a rock for hours and hours. So I suspected that pain might be the cause of my sleep issues. But really I felt like opiates were overkill in my case.

So, I tried generic OTC acetaminophen, 1000 mg, an hour before bedtime. Works perfectly and I have slept 7-8 hours every night since (except last night, 9.5 hours!).

I *never* had any luck with acetaminophen before, but it works surprisingly well for my knee. I don't take it at any time except bedtime.

Other treatments: Before my total knee replacement, I tried Celebrex back in 2000-2001, which worked, but then quit taking them due to one of those media scares about its safety (which I think must have been over-hyped). I just toughed it out with no medication for quite a while, but the pain got worse and worse through the years. In 2016 I took prescription Meloxicam, which works wonderfully but it is an NSAID and despite claims that it doesn't bother one's stomach, it bothered mine. So I quit taking them. Finally this year I bought and used an icing machine that I thought really helped with knee pain even before my surgery. It reduces swelling, and although it doesn't eliminate all pain, it eliminates any pain that is due to swelling. But, when I got the torn meniscus as well as the bad osteoarthritis in that knee, I decided that enough is enough and went ahead and had the total knee replacement done.

Medicare plus my BCBS insurance (mostly Medicare I think) paid every cent of the total knee replacement except for about $10-$20 for the pain pills.

[Texas Proud]

One problem with CBD oil is that from what was on the news most actually do NOT have any in them...


It was awhile back, but 9 out of 10 had none or very little CBD in them... so any benefit was placebo...

[GravitySucks]

I'm going to stop at a CBD store today.
The cortisone shot is kicking in, the swelling has receded, and the pain is now bareable. Hoping I'm one of the lucky ones that can get by on just the shots every few months.
This whole thing is a reminder not to put off doing those things I love. Pretty sure mountain hikes will never be the same.

[Bamaman]

My wife couldn't walk if she didn't use Volteran Gel (prescription) and Lidocaine cream (over the counter) on her mid foot arthritis.

And she continues the CBD tincture that helps somewhat. Trouble with CBD is that it's not all created equal. She recently found one online that's superior to the others she's taken in the past and doesn't taste so bad. And she acts so much better on CBD too.

She arrived in Paris today, and I expect she'll be walking 8-10 miles a day thanks to the meds. But she left the CBD at home.

[PawPrint53]

My DH does physical therapy, has had cortisone shots, ices, wears a brace and takes Tylenol. I use supplements including collagen daily, which has really helped. A friend used all the OTC remedies and Celebrex at various times and ended up with liver or kidney issues (not sure which, maybe both) and now can't take any pain relievers. I don't want to risk it.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim584672 The half-life of aspirin is 3-4 hours, naproxen is 12-17 hours, ibuprofen is 2 hours, celecoxib is 12 hours. Aspirin has a lot of bleeding risks.

Interesting information. I knew that ibuprofen had a short half-life so when I take it I do one pill every three hours rather than two every six hours. That helps me to avoid the big ups and downs of pain relief.

As much as I like aspirin, I limit its use due to the bleeding issues. I use it maybe once a week, max. Otherwise, I mix up ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) usage. My understanding is that acetaminophen is processed mainly by the liver, while ibuprofen is processing by the kidneys. So, if figure if I mix up the usage, no one organ gets to much extra work. Maybe this is nonsense, I don't know for sure.

That said, I try not to take more than 7-10 total pain pills a week, max.

CBD? I tried it once, and it had no effect. I do wonder if the dosage and potency of the stuff is well controlled.

Voltaren? Great stuff . Why we can't get it OTC like Europeans and Canadians is beyond me.

[Rianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R So, I tried generic OTC acetaminophen, 1000 mg, an hour before bedtime. Works perfectly and I have slept 7-8 hours every night since (except last night, 9.5 hours!). I *never* had any luck with acetaminophen before, but it works surprisingly well for my knee. I don't take it at any time except bedtime.

+1 Acetaminophen works for me. I only take the 325 mg (maybe 2), but works for headaches and occasional sleep issues. I don't take any other OTC pain med.

[GravitySucks]

Brought some Voltaren back from Canada. Doesn't seem to be helping for this.
Great for muscle aches though.