was just diagnosed with ostioarthritis

Man, besides simple exercise, what can I do to help with the major hip and back pain I have.  My knees give me issue too.  I already have cns vasculitis, so I am not a happy camper with being in pain all the time.  


This discussion is related to ostioporosis.

[mellie4]

Hi.  I'm not sure how old you are, and I don't know what cns vasculitis is.  I'm 48 with serious arthritis in both hands, back, right hip, right knee and probably a few other spots.  I can remember my hands bothering me back when I was in my late teens.

Mine has got a lot worse over the past six or seven years with my hands being the worst.  I had joint replacement in my left thumb (MCP) joint around 3 years ago.  Long story but it failed and I've had a total of 9 surgeries on it, including a fusion.  I'm in pain management and on a lot of medication.

I wish I had seen a specialist years ago.  By the time I got to a good orthopedic, I was in rough shape.  Do you take any medication for it?  Advil and Aleve are both good, though you need to watch your stomach with it.  There's also over-the-counter topical creams, though I never found them to work well.  Now I have 2 different prescription creams which do help.  One is Volatren gel and the other is a compounded cream with a ton of different medications in it.

I find heat works best and I love the ThermaCare patches.  They last hours and hours and you can wear them under your clothes without anyone noticing.

For exercise, I found swimming was great.  Everything felt better in the water.  Walking hurts my hip, even on a treadmill but for some reason I could go hours on an elliptical and it actually makes things feel better.

Also, if it's in your hip and back, a really good mattress is important.  If your mattress isn't great and you don't want to buy a new one, try egg crates or a mattress topper.  I use pillows between my knees and that seems to help the back and hip.

I've had to resort to narcotics to help with the pain.  My family history is loaded with arthritis, mostly the worst with the women.  Two of my aunts on my dad's side were on crutches or wheelchairs.  My mom was crippled with it from her forties on.

I think you just have to find what works best for you.  Piecing things together helps ... a little relief from some medication along with the ThermaCare patches, etc.  I don't think there's any one thing that will do the trick with the pain.

It's a tough disease.  Along with the pain, you have the weakness and disability.  I hope you find what works for you quickly.