osteoarthritis

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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me! National Arthritis Week!

National Arthritis Week 2013

National Arthritis Week 2013

As part of building awareness for National Arthritis Week Catherine Manning has very graciously given us permission to repost her post on the subject.  To check out Ms Manning’s excellent arthritis blog (called Old Before My Time) please head over to http://arthritis-sucks-oldbeforemytime.blogspot.co.uk/.

“It is nearly National Arthritis Week!! and I am proud to be dedicating some of my blog posts to NAW!!

I thought I would start with a “10 things you don’t know about me!” so here goes!!

1) The condition I have is called Osteoarthritis. The common misconception is that only older people get OA. I am living proof that this condition can affect anyone at any age!

2) I was first diagnosed and treated at the age of 12. Very young I know. I had my first arthroscopic surgery when I was 12.


3) My condition affects every aspect of my day to daylife. Imagine struggling to get out of bed, having a raised toilet seat because you can’t get on and off the toilet otherwise. Needing help to shower, dress, cook dinner, make a cup of coffee. Not being able to do the school run without help or do the shopping. That’s my life.

4) Since my condition has progressed to this stage I have taken up blogging and trying to raise awareness of all forms of arthritis especially how it affects younger people.

5) Living with arthritis has taught me to value the small things, the little achievements that most people take for granted. To listen to by body on what I can and can’t do. It has also made me realise who are my true friends and that my family are everything to me.

6) My advice to other people living with osteoarthritis would be do your research, get support medically and emotionally. Listen to your body! You can still have fun and enjoy life!

7) A gadget I couldn’t live without…my laptop/smart phone! When pain is so bad I can’t get out to meet up with people or just get some fresh air I am able to log onto the internet and chat with like minded people on support groups. It means I am not so isolated as living with arthritis can be very lonely.

8) Apart from my pain medication, my supportive hubby and gorgeous children get me through a really tough day. Just a gentle hug and an understanding smile can mean a lot.

9) I am very lucky as I have a very supportive husband who helps me in almost every way. My parents live in the Highlands and are making the 18 hour drive down to where we live to help me and look after the children while I have my right knee replaced next week. I have some wonderful friends I have met online too one especially has turned out to be one of my very best friends. Cara, has RA and a number of other autoimmune conditions. She is always there at the end of the phone or email or support group to chat about anything and everything. Having friends who understand are worth their weight in gold.

10) This National Arthritis Week I would like to say thank you to: My Husband Paul, for everything you do for me and your unconditional love and support. To my Mum and Dad for dropping everything to come and stay with us while I am in hospital. To Cara Davidson, for being Cara, for making me laugh and for just being an awesome friend. To the Doctors and Staff at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.”

You can find out more about National Arthritis Week which begins on Monday by going to http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/support-us/get-involved/national-arthritis-week.aspx


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Natural Treatments for Arthritis


Cherries - an aid to pain reliefIt has been estimated that more than 50% of people with arthritis have tried some kind of natural or alternative treatment for the condition.

There are over 100 different types of arthritis including fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and gout. Each of them affects the body in different ways.

The objective of this blog is to have a look at some of the alternative treatments for arthritis and to get feedback from our readers as to how effective these natural therapies are.    We can only cover some of the treatments in a blog post like this so it would be great if you use the comments box below to add any suggestions you might have for alternative therapies for arthritis.  and to  share your experiences of how effective they are.

So here goes:-

a)      Diet as a way of treating arthritis pain.  For more information please have a look at our previous blog on the subject  https://patienttalk.org/?p=507

b)      Similarly diet can help with inflammation.  Check out our other blog on the subject here https://patienttalk.org/?p=468

c)       Yoga and similar exercises such as Tai Chi.  Exercise is important for people with any kind of arthritis.  Low impact exercise like this helps improve both balance and muscle strength.

d)      Acupuncture seems for some to be a way of dealing with the pain.

e)      Supplements are available but please check with your doctor before using them as they might have an effect on the conventional medications you use.  These supplements can include Chondroitin sulphate and Glucosamine sulphate.

f)       Famously it has been thought that wearing a copper bracelet can help with some of the arthritic symptoms.

As we said before it would be great if you could tell us your arthritis story below.  Please add any links you think may be of use to other readers.  What have you tried and how did it work for you?  You may wish to consider some of the following questions when you make your comments:-

1)      What kind of arthritis do you have and how long have you had it?

2)      What conventional treatments have you used and how effective were they?

3)      Have you used natural treatments and how well did they work?

4)      What was the reaction of your healthcare providers to your use of natural remedies?

Thanks very much in advance.


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An Arthritis Blog – Symptoms of Osteoarthritis and its effects on lifestyle.

Joint Pain Management - Arthritis

Joint Pain Management – Arthritis

My mother has arthritis. Had it for years.  Osteoporosis as well.  It’s not too bad she says – but she has been in pain for forty odd years to I think she might be wrong.  But then again she is comparing herself with her mother who spend over 50 years battling with RA.  My grandmother pretty much could not use her hand in the last decade of her life so perhaps Mum has a point.

A lot of us associate arthritis with getting older so we thought it would be useful to give you a brief guide to the signs and symptoms of arthritis.  So forewarned is forearmed.

In fact arthritis covers over 100 different medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and gout.  Here we focus on osteoarthritis which is the most common and is often referred to as just arthritis.  Its social impact cannot be underestimated.  In the USA maybe 20,000,000 have some kind of disability relatedto arthritis.

The core feature of arthritis is that it involves inflammation of the joints which as any person with arthritis will tell can be incredibly painful.

  • So obviously joint pain is a key indicator
  • Also swelling around the joints.
  • Joint stiffness
  • Fatigue is very common with arthritis of all kinds

If you feel you have any or all of these symptoms it is vital that you see a physician as soon as possible.

We ran a recent blog on arthritis treatments which may prove of interest.  You can access it by clicking here https://patienttalk.org/?p=434.

Another part of this blog is to look at how arthritis affects people’s lifestyles.  This is where you come in.  It would be great if you could share your stories about changes in lifestyle with other readers.  You may find it useful to consider the following questions:-

1)      At what age did you first notice signs of arthritis?

2)      How long did it take you to get diagnosed?

3)      How did it affect your life/work balance?

4)      What treatments have you used?

5)      What single household or other gadget has helped you overcome the challenges presented by arthritis?

6)      Is there any advice you would like to share with other readers?

Please think of these as a guide.  We are interested in anything you may have to say.  Please use the comments section below to add your contribution.

Many thanks in advance.

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Treating Arthritis Pain – what is the best way of managing arthritic pain?


Joint Pain Management - Arthritis

Joint Pain Management – Arthritis

One of the biggest challenges with any chronic medical condition is the issue of managing pain.  For people with any type of arthritis this is especially important.

The objective of this arthritis blog is to encourage our readers to share their experiences of pain management.  What works?  What doesn’t?

Indeed the blog is part of an on-going series of blogs on pain management.  To check out the previous blog posts please go to https://patienttalk.org/?tag=pain-management.  There are some fantastic tips and ideas from our readers in the previous posts.

It is worth mentioning that arthritis is a term used to cover a wide range of different conditions.  These can include osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and gout among around 100 different illnesses.

A very basic definition of arthritis would be that it is a joint disorder which involves inflammation of the joints.  This causes both pain and in some cases physical disability.

Typical treatments come in three main types:-

a)      Physical and occupational therapy

b)      Medications such as pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs

c)       Join replacement surgery.

As we said the objective of this blog is to find out a bit more about how you have treated your arthritic pain.  It would be great if you could share your experiences with other readers of this arthritis blog.  You may find the following questions useful in framing your response:-

a)      What kind of arthritis do you have?  How long ago were you diagnosed?

b)      How would you describe the pain from your arthritis?  How does the pain affect your lifestyle?

c)       What treatments for your pain did you receiver?  How effective have these arthritis treatment been?

d)      Do you have any advice for other people with arthritis?

e)      Have you ever used alternative medicine to treat you arthritic pain?

Please use the comments box below to tell your story.  Feel free to add any links you think may be on interest to other readers.

Thanks in advance