Evvie said:
Yes, I know that I need teh realz doctor for medical consultation. I'm just kind of trying to figure out what to tell him except "it hurts" and I've heard that doctors really like it when you do independent research and amateur diagnosis all up on yourself.
My joints suck balls. My father got arthritis when he was in his early twenties, and I started dealing with joint pain during my teenage years. I was tested for rheumatoid arthritis and came up negative, so at least that specific thing isn't going on. I also don't think I'm arthritic. Anyway.
My knees hurt when I walk. They also hurt when I fold my joints in a specific way (sitting cross-legged) or when pressure is applied at an angle, as often happens during everyday life. My knees just feel worn out. Like if you rub the same spot on your arm for 15 minutes, eventually it just starts to hurt. My knees feel rubbed. I require a lot of rest every day just to keep off my feet an let my legs rest, and after I get rested up for a while I'll be good to go for several hours of use before they start to crap out on me again. When I went to the museum over the weekend with my parents, my knees got shot as quickly as my dad's - who is 60, has had arthritis for 40 years and has one fake knee. We ended up getting parked by a fountain for an hour while my mom got to go see cool museum shit.
So yeah. Do you guys think this can be solved with vitamins and tonics or whatever? I'm open to suggestions.
ok, since rheumatoid has been ruled out ( for now) there are several other likely culprits. osteoarthritis would be my first guess. ive had that in my knees and hands since i was in my early 20s from overuse, so its definitely possible. gout, though unlikely, is possible as well. i consider it unlikely simply because of the age of onset. never heard of someone in the teens getting gout.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout
also unlikely but possible is crohn's, but i would say that it is so unlikely with the symptoms you listed as to be ruled out already (unless you have abdominal issues as well)
going with those as the most likely options, we move to treatment of symptoms.
long term stuff that can help with the pain and recovery time: glucosamine chondroitin can help prevent tissue wear and possibly rebuild the cartilage , adding in MSM to that gives another slight edge. when im able to afford a supplement on a regular basis i find that my arthritis trouble ease slightly within a week. after a month or so it eases down to 70-80 percent of what it is without. and its one of only a handful of products with clinical studies to back it.
my next reliable long term med is fish or flaxseed oil. the omega 3s in them work wonders for joint pain among other bodily systems.
vitamin e is said to help some people, but not others as a supplement. i never got much benefit from it in terms of arthritis. it sure wont hurt to try it.
some pain relief can be found from adding the spices turmeric and coriander to your food. some of the volatile organics in there are good anti inflamatories. a good curry blend heavy on the turmeric can drop pain levels 20 percent if its a fresh batch, slightly less if its old. turmerin is the main chemical that does the job, its a natural cox-2 inhibitor. cinnamon, black pepper, paprika and all the chilis also have components that can reduce inflammation and therefore pain., but i find them very hit or miss in that regard.
the whole R.I.C.E option was already covered in another post, and you already do that anyway. (rest,inflammatory meds of the NSAID type, compression and elevation) some arthritis sufferers prefer heat to cold for short term pain relief, but cold while you are recovering seems to be quicker, and it reduces the swelling more efficiently. i advise heat only when you are either getting ready to do activities or when resting for several hours. heat works by increasing blood flow to the effected area, which doesnt do much for arthritis itself, but can make it take longer to become painful, and reduce the recovery time after very slightly.
dietary stuff only helps a little unless you have sensitivities that are causing or increasing the pain. gluten and dairy are the two major culprits when that is the case, though there are certainly others. but lets focus on what might help.
anything that has the omega 3s in it is good for sure. magnesium, calcium and potassium are the big three minerals for joint health. the leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, collards etc) have the most reliable sources of all three at once, plus theyre yummy as all get out. if the bitterness is a problem with eating them a bit of balsamic vinegar can cut that.
any of the fruits are going to help a little since theyre nutrient dense. the darker berries of course have even higher doses of anti oxidants, so even if they dont specifically reduce pain they will help your recovery time a little, and they may extend your low pain activity time some.
avoiding foods from the nightshade family might reduce some of your symptoms, but thats up in the air clinically (no real studies done on them in regards to arthritis contribution, just anecdotal evidence). tomatoes and potatoes are the two that most people eat. reducing the amounts of those in your diet for a while will tell you if they contribute, and if they do then you can cut them out fairly easily.
thats the best general purpose intro i can give without going way over a reasonably readable post, but of course im glad to go into more detail if you like
