Seen my doctor

Post your Osteoarthritis related questions for our experts here.

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Rachelouise1
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:41 am
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by Rachelouise1 on Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:45 am

Seen my doctor

Had another appointment with my doctor last night only to be told I have osteoarthritis in my shoulder joint now as well (as in my hip and fingers). I'm only 45,work full time and keep active by owning an allotment plot. It's the reliance on painkillers that gets me down.

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Matthew Rogers
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2018 12:01 pm
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by Matthew Rogers on Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:32 am

Re: Seen my doctor

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence suggests that a GP should consider a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis if a person is:

• 45 years of age or over
• Has movement related joint pain
• Has either no stiffness in the joints in the morning or this stiffness lasts less than half an hour
• No other obvious diagnosis

This covers a considerable proportion of the population. Many people find pain medication very useful, but there are other things that you can do apart from just taking tablets.

You are right that keeping active performing exercises and stretches can be very helpful, but pacing the amount of activity that you do in order to avoid triggering a flare-up of your pain as well as setting goals and priorities is also important. Managing your body weight can take the pressure off the joints of your spine or legs, as can correct footwear. Some people find relaxation and meditation can also help with the psychological symptoms (Find out more here: https://www.iosteopathy.org/osteopathy- ... arthritis/)

The Charity Arthritis Action provides a number of useful factsheets that you might want to read: https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... actsheets/

An osteopath can talk you through your various options and can offer manual therapy which has been shown to help many people. You can find an osteopath near to you at: https://members.iosteopathy.org/find-an-osteopath
Matthew Rogers
Head of Professional Development, the Institute of Osteopathy

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... rogers.php

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Tracy Corbett
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 12:19 pm
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by Tracy Corbett on Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:07 am

Re: Seen my doctor

Given the number of joints involved, I would ask for a referral to a rheumatologist for a review in the first instance.

A good exercise programme of specific, targeted exercises would be able to help with your discomfort. Research shows that exercising is pain relieving and can be helpful in maintaining function.

For your hip pain, perhaps this website might be helpful:
https://escape-pain.org/

A physiotherapist should also be able to help you with pain using appropriate treatment modalities: manual therapy (if indicated), joint mobilisations, targeted exercises, pacing advice and pain easing advice. Perhaps you could chat to your GP about a referral to physiotherapy as well.
Tracy Corbett
Chartered Physiotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... orbett.php

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