Arthritis

[enanjara]

I have arthritis in my hands and knees . Any hints and tips would be wonderful please, as winter is on its way it gets painful

thank you

[ayix80]

Hi,
I have arthritis in my knees and have for quite a while.
- heat packs - quite cheap since it is a once off payment, available in a variety of shapes. Heat in microwave and apply, good ot have several to allow rotating or multiple spots at once
- anti inflamatories - I would avoid regular doses of the medical ones for as long as possible, my doctor did not tell me how addictive they are or that they can cause long term degradation which increases pain.
- natural anti inflamatories - I find a double dose of krill oil capsules every morning has cut my pain killer usage down from 8 panadeine forte to 2 per day, much better.
- glucosamine - I find this has a marginal pain relief but am trying it to keep my bones healthy
- calcium and vitamin d - good for maintaining bones.

With the knees I find avoiding the things which trigger off pain best as once I am in pain it takes ages to recover, for instance adding an extra seat cushion to raise the level of my armchair reduced the amount of knee bend and helped at lot.

My mother swears by wearing half gloves to allow her to work while getting some extra warmth to her hands.

If you find any magic bullets for the knees I would love to hear about it.

Remember to ask those around you for help when you need it, stop pushing once the pain starts or you will find it takes much longer to recover.

Good luck over winter.

[enanjara]

thank you xxx

[isasa330]

Is it Osteoarthritis or one of the many forms of auto-immune arthritis? If it is auto-immune, my biggest advice would be to stay on your meds! I have a rare form of auto-immune arthritis called Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, which is a mix of myositis, lupus and scleroderma, and my meds have honestly saved my life.

[sabz]

This is brilliant advice!

[MSCINT]

Tumeric capsules, two caps 3 x days for 2 weeks. Then 1 cap 3 x day for another 2 wks. Maintain with 1 cap twice a day.