Arthritis at Age 30

[mtngrrrl]

I have been having chronic neck pain.  I was refered to a physical therapist who had been doing myfacial trigger point release therapy to help the pain.  It helped the muscle pain, but I started throwing out my neck frequently. I threw out my neck 3 times in a 7 day span.  I had an x-ray that came back normal, so they did an MRI.  The doc said that I have arthritis and bone spurs in my neck.  She made it seem like it was not a big deal and told me that it would get worse as I get older.  I'm already in constant pain and it is affecting the quality of my life.  My question is what are the implications of having arthritis in my neck at such a young age?  Should I seek a second opinion?

[allmymarbles]

There are natural supplements to take for arthritis and they work. In fact traditional doctors are now recommending them. Several friends and family take Arthro 7 (there are other equally good products out there) and MSM. It takes a whle to work, but not very long. If you still have some pain meanwhile, take about 500 mg. of vitamin B5. It is an anti-inflammatory. There are no side effects. These preparations repair cartilage and reduce inflammation. In other words, they don't just treat symptoms. Sometimes my husbands decides not to take these supplements. Eventually his symptoms return and he igoes back to using them again.

[dustybrown]

From what I've experienced having osteoarthritis of my lower back and degenerative disc disease plus a whole bunch of other non-autoimmune conditions since I was in my late teens, the best help you are going to get is from a doctor of Rheumatology who believes in and treats Fibromyalgia. He or she can test you for a whole slew of other illnesses to rule anything else out and then treat your chronic pain until it becomes to much for you to deal with. At that point you can ask for a referral to a pain management doctor, which is a big commitment in my mind. Rheumatologists are the specialists that treat arthritic conditions. I would see one if I were you. It took me my whole life to find one and I am glad I did.