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After suffering with pain in my knees for a few years, I was sent for an x-ray and finally diagnosed with osteoarthritis. What can I do to help manage the pain? People say that walking can help, but I find walking to cause me a lot of pain so I'm not convinced that walking will help me! I must admit, the pain is getting me very down and I can't see light at the end of the tunnel right now so any suggestions/tips would be welcomed. Thank you (Tom)

Dear Tom

Thank you for your question. Osteoarthritis is very common in knee joints and can cause a great deal of discomfort. On the whole, exercise is pain relieving for joints and our bodies need regular movement for a whole raft of reasons.

Here are some lovely websites with exercise programmes for knee pain exercises:
https://escape-pain.org/ESCAPE-pain-Online
https://www.csp.org.uk/conditions/knee- ... -knee-pain
https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/2 ... -sheet.pdf

Osteoarthritis can be greatly helped by following an appropriate and specifically targeted exercise regime to strengthen all the muscles around your hips and knees.

It would be worthwhile asking your GP if there are any exercise groups/classes for knee pain in your area, or, if that isn't an option near you, to refer you to your local NHS physiotherapist who can assess your knees and prescribe specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around your hips and knees, and to help you stay as strong and fit as possible. The reason I mention strengthening your hips is that hip and pelvic stability can help with knee pain.

There are lots of other pain-relieving modalities that your physio can recommend, e.g. the use of heat, gentle compression eg tubigrip.

Hi Tom,

Thank you for sharing about your experiences in living with knee pain.

As Tracy has said there are many benefits from exercise and therapeutic approaches that a therapist will be able to advise you on.

As part of its membership offering, Arthritis Action gives subsidized access to a regional network of Osteopaths and Physiotherapists that all have experience and expertise in helping you better manage the pain from arthritic joints. This might include hands on therapy, exercise prescription and the use of other strategies.

I have included some links below to our site, a short talk on exercise and pain management and also to our Exercise and activity directory which will hopefully show you some exercise options in your local area.


https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... arthritis/

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... directory/

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/

Best wishes
David

What do you recommend for those of us who can’t exercise. I have degenerative disc disease and so use a wheelchair as walking is so painful. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hips just over a year ago and was given a steroid injection into the most painful hip. I can get another and an infant overdue for this but how am I supposed to build muscle around the joint when I can’t walk or stand for long enough?

Hello,

I am sorry to hear that things are difficult and that exercise is challenging.

Given the situation you describe, I agree that standing exercise might not be the best way to build up strength. I think an ideal starting point would be the pool. Simple movements in a un-weighted environment might allow for some improved mobility in the areas affected. Water can also act as gentle but effective resistance to ones movement and in time can be used to regain some strength .

Perhaps some one-one advise would also be useful from an Osteopath or Physiotherapist who can more precisely prescribe some activity around getting you stronger whilst not aggravating your pain.

I have included some links below about exercise and the services Arthtis Action offer.

Best of luck
David

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... arthritis/

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/physical-therapy/

https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/livi ... directory/

Hello,
David's suggestion of water-based exercise is a great idea. Your GP might be able to refer you for hydrotherapy if there is a hydrotherapy pool near you. If not, it might be worth asking your GP whether there are any chair-based exercise programme groups near you. This has the benefit of being group-based and therefore quite social and fun, as well as teaching you some gentle exercises that you can do in the class and at home.

It's so important to pace yourself and this means to exercise well within your pain limits. This avoids the "boom or bust" effect of exercising too much which can cause you to be in pain and therefore not able to exercise at all for a period. So, finding something that you can enjoy which is very gentle, and approaching it with caution is important.

I hope that your GP will be able to refer you in the direction of some good classes.