Hello, Chronic pain can be triggered by many factors. The previous advice is spot on in recommending a medical opinion followed by a physical therapy assessment from a registered practitioner. Gentle exercise, mobility and stretching might help you manage your symptoms. Most Osteopaths and Physiothe...

Hello, It sounds as though you are worried about the possibility that you may have lupus and are also worried about your loss of function. Rest assured that if your rheumatologist thought that you do have lupus, this would have been explained to you and you would have been started on some medication...

Hello Mark, You say you have tried all. Does that include a pain management programme? Caudal epidurals are usually performed by pain specialists, spinal surgeons or rheumatologists but it sounds as though you need a more holistic approach with input from several specialists to deal with all of the ...

Psoriasis is a condition where the immune system attacks the skin. Some people with psoriasis also have a connected condition where the immune system also attacks the joints causing inflammation, pain, stiffness and swelling. Under the balls of our feet we have joints which are commonly affected by ...

Many people with arthritis worry that if they exercise they may damage their joints. This is not true at all. Exercise can't harm the joints and can't make arthritis worse, but when you start exercising, it may make your joints feel temporarily more sore. The best way to start exercising is to find ...

Hello, Your doctor is right. Knee supports may give the knee some comfort but are not a good idea in the long term as they can affect muscle strength and lead to worsening knee stability and pain. Even after knee ligament reconstruction surgery, many knee surgeons do not recommend knee braces for ju...

Hello Dee, The key to exercising when you have fibromyalgia is to make sure that you set yourself some very low goals at the start so that you can achieve something, however small and then build on these targets very slowly. You will know that people with fibromyalgia often overdo things when they f...

Hello, Many people think of osteoarthritis as a condition where the joints wear out but in fact these bony growths that you describe are the body's attempt to repair small areas of cartilage damage inside the joint. The bony growths as you have found are not harmful and usually don't cause any pain ...

Hello, It is a very good idea to look at ways that you can reduce your pain medicines, especially fentanyl patches, as if you still have a lot of pain then clearly these strong opioids (morphine-like drugs) are not working well and they can have a lot of side effects including long term addiction. C...

Exercise can be an effective way of improving the pain associated with Arthritis. It does not have to be very vigorous to produce benefits. Even gentle stretching or balance exercises can help keep the joints moving, whilst simple walking can dramatically improve fitness and reduce joint pain. There...