Bad knees

[Auk]

My knees have been hurting me for a long time. Now they seem to be getting worse. I don't understand why but it's seriously starting to worry me since walking is starting to hurt. What should I do? Should I go see a doctor? I go on the inversion table every day I wonder if that helps the knees. Anybody else have bad knees?

[YT2095]

ankle knees hips, Yup, mine`s Arthritis though. Definately go and see your Doctor, it seems pointless putting up with it when there`s a good chance something can be done to fix it!

[coquina]

Do you live in an area where there are deer/black legged ticks? They carry Lyme Disease.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/diagnosis.htm

 

B. burgdorferi infection in the untreated or inadequately treated patient may progress to late disseminated disease weeks to months after infection. The most common objective manifestation of late disseminated Lyme disease is intermittent swelling and pain of one or a few joints, usually large, weight-bearing joints such as the knee.

 

I knew a person who contracted this - he didn't remember getting bitten by a tick, but the ticks that carry the disease are tiny.

 

By the way - pet owners - Lyme disease infects dogs too.

[ecoli]

Go see a doctor, make sure he/she knows your habits and activites

[Auk]

Right, thay's two people advising a doctor i'll go right away. Oops I"ve got to post this reply first.

[Auk]

Coquina, thanks for the advice. We have a lot of tick s over here. The park across the street is supposed to be filled with them but no the doc says it's due to overstressing the knees in sports and stuff. He says that they can heal but he doubt's they will until I'm at least 20 and I stop running around.

[YT2095]

try eating Oily fish, Herring mackrel and the likes, it`s suposed to be good for joint problems, also Glucosamine Sulphate is something I take daily and it does help too

[coquina]

Also - I learned this from an orthopod who specializes in sports medicine.

 

Most sports involve running and walking, so the muscles on the front and back of the knee get overdeveloped compared to the ones that control the knee from the sides and keep it in place. He advised lying on your side and doing leg lifts with an ankle weight to work out the outer side muscle and lying on the bed with your hip on the edge with the lower leg hanging off and doing leg lifts that way to strengthen the inside thigh muscle. As a result of strengthening these muscles, your knees will be completely supported all the way around.

[JHAQ]

In 1997 I had to have a bilateral TKR & stilkl have discomfort walking any distance . Diagnosis was made by X ray which showed arthritic degeneration of the cartilage between the joints .

[JHAQ]

PS Re my last post ( TKR ) . It happened about a year after I had volunteered for a lyme vaccine test & received the vaccine & not the placebo

[YT2095]

JHAQ, you`ve got my full sympathies dude (

 

At least you gan take a general Anaethetic though, I can`t so no OP for me, and the painkillers I`m too afraid to take as they`re addictive (Tramadol/Zydol)

 

Arthritis is NOT FUNNY, and it`s not only in "OLD People" either!

[coquina]

My knees are in pretty good shape, but my back is a wreck. I have a genetic narrowing of the disks of the lower back - I have had surgery for a herniated disk, and now I have arthritis which makes it very difficult to sit for any length of time. I had a cortisone injection about 4 months ago which helped a great deal, but I need to have it done again.

[Drug addict]

 

At least you gan take a general Anaethetic though' date=' I can`t so no OP for me, and the painkillers I`m too afraid to take as they`re addictive (Tramadol/Zydol)

[/quote']

 

 

(goes and bangs head on wall.)

 

Sorry, but I find this kind of attitude really frustrating! You're in pain, we have analgesics that are effective for your pain and will improve your quality of life, but you won't take the drugs! Arthritis is a degenerative disease and the pain it causes needs to be treated adequately.

 

The results of a trial using magnetic bracelets are reported in the BMJ this week (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7480/1450?ehom), though as the authors note, it is a bit difficult to blind patients as whether they get a magnetic bracelet or not.

 

BTW, I assume that when you talk about arthritis you are talking about osteoarthritis and not rheumatoid arthritis. There are some really interesting treatments available for RA.

[Auk]

JHAQ' date=' you`ve got my full sympathies dude (

 

At least you gan take a general Anaethetic though, I can`t so no OP for me, and the painkillers I`m too afraid to take as they`re addictive (Tramadol/Zydol)

 

Arthritis is NOT FUNNY, and it`s not only in "OLD People" either![/quote']

 

Are all painkillers addictive?

[Drug addict]

There are two main groups of (conventional) painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflamatories (NSAIDs) and opiods. Paracetamol is in a class by itself.

 

NSAIDs can be divided into traditional (e.g. ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac) and COX-2 inhibitors (e.g. rofecoxib [Vioxx], celecoxib [Celebrex]). Cyclooxygenase (COX) cleaves arachidonic acid to produce prostaglandins and thromboxanes which are mediators of inflamation. COX has several isoforms, COX-1 which is constitutive and plays a role in the protection of the gastric mucosa and platelet aggregation, and COX-2 which is inducible.

 

Traditional NSAIDs inhibit both COX isoforms, the COX-1 inhibition causing the side effects such as gastric ulcers. COX-2 inhibitors have a far lower risk of serious upper GI events, but may increase risk of CV problems; Vioxx was recently withdrawn and a recent study using Celebrex to treat tumours showed a 2.5 fold increase in the risk of non-fatal heart attacks (http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2004/od-17.htm).

 

NSAIDs are not addictive.

 

Opioid analgesics include morphine, diamorphine (heroin), codeine, oxycodone and tramadol (Zydol). Opioids act centrally on opioid receptors, of which there are several types - mu/delta, kappa and sigma. mu/delta receptors are responsible for most of the side effects of opioids - respiratory depression, constpation, euphoria, sedation and physical dependence. They are also involved in analgesia. Kappa receptors also play a role in analgesia and dependence (though less of a role than mu/delta), and cause dysphoria rather than euphoria. Tolerance to the effects of opioids develops rapidly and I have seen some scarily high doses of morphine.

 

Opioid analgesics are addictive, though the potential for addiction depends on the exact drug used. Tramadol has less of the typical opioid side effects, notably less addiction potential. Though there are undoubtly problems with the opioid analgesics, they are the most effective analgesics available. If someone is terminally ill, dealing with their pain is the prime concern, addiction to opioids is not really a problem that matters in this group of patients.

 

In the case of people in chronic pain, more care needs to be exercised with the use of opioids, which is why tramadol is used in preference to morphine. There is also often a psychological aspect with chronic pain.

[Auk]

Interesting thanks for the information.

[Drug addict]

no problems, it's what I'm going to be doing for a career when I graduate

[Auk]

What you gonna be a doctor?

[Drug addict]

What you gonna be a doctor?

 

You think doctors know that much about medicines?

 

I'm in the final year of a pharmacy degree, so medicines are what I know about.

[Auk]

lol that was gonna be my second guess.

[YT2095]

(goes and bangs head on wall.)

 

Sorry' date=' but I find this kind of attitude really frustrating! You're in pain, we have analgesics that are effective for your pain and will improve your quality of life, but you won't take the drugs! [/quote']

No I won`t.

 

that`s where you`de fall down, a Doctor Would/SHOULD recognise the problem I have with such things and work around it.

You`ll not be able to ever hear or know this from a patient

 

I have REASONS that I won`t risk taking such medication, however "Good" it might be or how much you head hit`s concrette

[Martin]

... also Glucosamine Sulphate is something I take daily and it does help too

 

Many people I know with kneejoint pain take Glucosamine

and find that it does actually help.

 

It is sold in tablets (Costco warehouse has a good deal)

(tablets easier to take than the powder)

and people take one tablet a day.

If it is going to have a good effect, this will show up within a month or six weeks.

 

My doctor is noncommital about it----no scientific studies just annecdotal evidence---says we should use it if it works. A friend's doctor has recommended it for his (knee) condition. So doctors differ about it. Some recommend it, others say it wouldnt hurt to try and use it if you find it helps.

 

I wouldnt buy it from a healthfood store---I'd buy it from some mass discount marketer like Kmart or Costco---just like your standard Vitamin C or one-a-day multivitamin. It is a mass market thing that tons of people have started taking.

 

If it works for you it really works. makes walking up and down stairs (where you need your knees) a lot easier

[YT2095]

My doctor is noncommital about it----no scientific studies just annecdotal evidence---says we should use it if it works. A friend's doctor has recommended it for his (knee) condition. So doctors differ about it. Some recommend it' date=' others say it wouldnt hurt to try and use it if you find it helps.

 

I wouldnt buy it from a healthfood store---I'd buy it from some mass discount marketer like Kmart or Costco---just like your standard Vitamin C or one-a-day multivitamin. It is a mass market thing that tons of people have started taking.

 

If it works for you it really works. makes walking up and down stairs (where you need your knees) a lot easier[/quote']

I was half and half about it too, and I agree to try it and THEN decide, if it helps use it, if not save your money

 

I don`t purchase from a healthfood shop either, I get mine from a warehhouse (filthy cheap there and same stuff as you see on shop shleves at 4 times the price!)

 

I can`t say it makes a HUGE improvement, but overall, there IS a difference, and certainly a beneficial one for the cost!

[Drug addict]

No I won`t.

 

that`s where you`de fall down' date=' a Doctor Would/SHOULD recognise the problem I have with such things and work around it.

You`ll not be able to ever hear or know this from a patient

 

I have REASONS that I won`t risk taking such medication, however "Good" it might be or how much you head hit`s concrette [/quote']

 

Why do you think I chose pharmacy instead of medicine?

 

But seriously, I recognise that people have problems around medicines and that these need to be listened to and addressed. Hence the move from a compliance model to a concordance model. And with the introduction of pharmacist prescribing it will be as much of an issue for pharmacists as it is for medics. And I know there are certain drugs I wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

 

I guess my real issue is with those people who unthinkingly reject conventional medicine and embrace alternative medicine because it is 'safe and natural' (which is utter rubish) and who don't seem to understand the term 'evidence based medicine'. I swear if I ever own my own pharmacy the first thing out the door would be homeopathic medicines.

[YT2095]

my choice is certainly NOT made "Unthinkingly"

 

Homeopathy I`de tend to agree with you there, it seems utter nonsense and is baseless in evidence, I would however call you out on "Alternative" Medicines in way of YOUR interpretation/description of such a medicine.

 

how would YOU define "Alternative medice(s)"?