Sciatic back pain and osteoarthritis in knees

dktreesea · 22 June 2016 at 3:34PM

Gypsywoman wrote: »

DomRavioli,

Can I ask what you mean by you are awaiting a new knee when one becomes available? They are always available. Also, can you share the secret of how you are up for a new knee in your 40'S. I have had severe pain in my knees for 25 years. Bone on bone and pieces shearing off and jamming mechanisms in both knees. So operations to remove the pieces of bone are what I have now, when needed. Just two so far. Morphine patches, liquid morphine, pregablin, gels, acupuncture and every med mentioned on this thread never helped. I do have DDD and slippage of vertebrae, so spondylosis in cervical and lumber spine. Arthritis in every major joint and fusion of toes on both feet again due to arthritis. Still though I am told I am too young at 60 years old for knee replacements. How in your 40's are you considered not too young for knee replacement?

Thank you.

That's ridiculous. I am guessing you are in England? People in Scotland, including myself have been able to get knee replacements even in their 40s let alone their 50s when I had mine. I'm overweight. There was an English surgeon who tried to lie to me saying I wasn't eligible. I complained, got a Scottish surgeon who said his claims were a load of twaddle and had me done and dusted within 12 weeks.

Access to vital surgery shouldn't be a post code lottery.

Ladywriter1968 · 30 June 2016 at 5:58PM

Hi, have results of my mri back scan... I put this up as someone else could have similar results to me.

lumbar discs dehydrated.
L4-5 and L5-S1 annular disc bulge.
L4-5 focal central disc protrusion impinging on descending nerve roots and narrowing of central canal recessed together with facet joint hyptertrophic changes.
left foraminal stenosis present at this level exiting L4 nerve root.
right posterocentral disc protrusion L5-S1 contact with descending right S1 root.

degenerating changes at L2-3 L4-5 and L5-S1.

Results.

Ladywriter1968 · 4 July 2016 at 9:11PM

Was walking in park and the porta loos were on the muddy ground at least 10 feet from walk way. and as I went on muddy ground I slipped over and hurt my back more and sprained ankle, I was gradually managing to deal with pain and now have put myself back months, pain worse then before.

just_trying · 9 July 2016 at 10:13PM

Yours is similar to mine. I'm in my 30s. I have spondylothesis, si joint dysfunction and arthritis.

I haven't claimed for pip, though have considered it as the pain is horrendous a lot of the time, unable to walk and relying on others. If you have any luck let me know please it's really debilitating isn't it.

Parva · 10 July 2016 at 3:26AM

I don't wish to worry anyone but do want to offer a cautionary tale. Now before I explain, please understand that my condition was extremely rare!

I started suffering pain in my hip in 2004 and as the years went on it got progressively worse. My GP records show an ever-increasing dosage of painkillers as the years went by. I kept getting referred for physiotherapy and after 4 or 5 sessions I quit as I was in more pain than ever after each session.

The pain was constant and often ended up in me dosing up on painkillers and staying in bed, and I couldn't even lay on the side where my hip was in pain. As the months went on, the pain gravitated further down the leg and higher up my back. I was convinced that it was sciatica as the symptoms were all there (the internet can be really bad for self-diagnosis).

Eventually, late 2011 I went down a waterslide in a waterpark in Cyprus and my femur broke. I literally landed in the water with nearly zero stress on that bone and it just snapped. Long story short, I'd had bone cancer in that femur for years and never knew. Had this been discovered before the bone broke I would have been able to have limb-saving surgery. Too late for me sadly.

Now as I said, mine is an extremely rare case and it's most likely a sciatic problem that physio could help or some other issue that can be treated by exercise or medication so please don't jump on my story. That said, if physio doesn't help, the pain is ongoing and worsening and not attributable to old age and arthritis, please insist that your doctor at least gets an xray of the problem!

As I said, highly unlikely anyone is going down the road I did but do do do insist on an xray if all treatments seem to fail, the issue gets worse and you feel you're getting nowhere. A simple xray would have saved me a whole world of pain!

just_trying · 16 July 2016 at 11:59PM

Parva, thank you for the reply. Have heard of this once before. My doctors continually said it was muscles. Moved and eventually saw different doctor. They eventually put me to orthopaedics and they confirmed problems , the main operation could involve problems which I'm scared of, bone grafts etc. And no guarantees, injections last time done nothing.

Wish you the best Parva. I've not claimed, though have been in pain 12 years, though was told years ago to claim under dvla, but no diagnosis and yes to nervous so simply didn't.

andreadl · 17 July 2016 at 10:29AM

Hi Ladywriter, I'm in a similar situation to you.

I am 45, have osteoarthritis in my lower spine, a congenital fused spine and (lucky me!&#55357;&#56841;) the disc behind the fusion is pushing on my spinal cord and could sever it at any time.

I've chosen not to have it removed as there's an 80% chance of coming out of the op in a wheelchair, but I do have regular spinal pain relief injections and am having denervation again for my sciatica. It worked wonders last time, so fingers crossed!

I have pain in my hips and knees as well but as yet don't have treatment on those - my painkillers deal with those to some extent.

I am under the chronic pain clinic for my pain and find it fantastic. It took a few goes to get my meds right, but now I find them fantastic and with my fentanyl patches for example, I'm allowed to self regulate the dose up to 100mg although in normally on 62 - 75mg.
My tablets are generally the same dosage daily, and I have the versatile plasters that someone else mentioned and find they're great for the sciatic pain.

I'm not sure if my story gives you more options to explore - I do hope so, and I hope your pain is fully managed soon &#55357;&#56842;

Gypsywoman · 17 July 2016 at 3:23PM

First of all apologies for not returning to this thread early. Secondly, thanks for the replies.

I have been told I am still too young at 60 years old for knees replacements I did get to see my named GP last week and he examined my knees and said my right knee is totally useless and hardly any movement. The pain in the ball of my right foot is nothing apparently...lol. It can bring me to tears but it does not show up on scan so there is nothing other than toe fusion - it hurts though..

I asked one consultant "Can you not treat me as a whole person, for that is what I am" but they do not work like that and so I see 5 + different consultants for what I believe is one related condition Arthritis now called Arthrosis I am informed.

22 years for me with crippling knee pain in both knees and Cervical spondylosis. If it was just beginning now I could cope better but the damage to my knees now is complete. I am sure my GP when he refers me back to the OPS will ask around a new right knee. I will have to start being more forceful and not so easy going.

Liquid morphine is having terrible effects on me and I feel disorientated and unable to drive and so my world shrinks again. I do have a pain clinic appointment with the Consultant there on the 28th July and I have taken some ides from this thread and have a few others to take also.

Yes I am in England. My late Father was in his early 70's before they replaced his knees. First one and than 18 mths later the other. He felt marvellous he said and was off on his cycle doing his research and taking picnics along, I was jealous I remember that, happy for him though but for me I was just early 40's then and 30 years seemed forever to wait for the pain to end.

I am coming off this liquid morphine for it makes me disorientated and drowsy and itch and then I have to take antihistamines to stop the itching and they make me drowsy and so I sit falling asleep but not a nice sleep and the pain remains.

I have had consultants doubt me until they see the X-rays and then their attitudes change. I need the bits of bones taking out of my right knee once more Osteophytes? My knee locks out and I fall if I am not near something to hold so I furniture walk at home and use a seated roll walker outside. Sadly, by the time I get dressed to get out I am often in too much pain with my back and so when the spasms come I need to sit down and fast, that helps. I get up and walk again and then need to sit for within 5 minutes my back goes back into spasms.

I was so naive before 1994 I thought if you had pain it could be managed and you would feel little pain only. 22 years of pain and I look back and think "Whats changed?" in relation to pain management and for me the answer is nothing, absolutely nothing. No progress in 22 years just worsening of the pain and more joints added to the pain. Some I just deal with but my back, my knees and my right foot that I do tend to drag they get me all the time and I cannot not use them.

Sorry for the moaning but it is so soul destroying. I stay active and yet the pain stops me. SO I do 5 minutes up and 5 minutes down - its bloody ridiculous. I have lost 2 stone weight and I have a personal trainer and a son who just lost 4 stone and my trainer tell me 90% of weight loss is diet and that is how I have done it. I have counted every calorie. My son lost 4 stone by counting every calorie. I eat well but I eat healthy. I was very into sports when young and it is now believed that the tracking in my legs was wrong and this was not picked up on when I was little and this caused Chondomalacia (sp) Patella which developed into OA.

I wish you all well in your quest to reduce your pain. Hand on heart, if I can lose 2 stone in 5 months on calorie counting alone anyone can. It is also something that distracts me and I see the reward on the scales. I still shop, when I can and if not my carer does for me. When I shop though and make careful choices it makes for more interesting shopping and like I say the results on the scales are the reward.

Good luck and thank you for your replies/ideas/shared experiences and your time.

Regards x

just_trying · 23 July 2016 at 12:01AM

Well done on your weight loss but not everyone with pain needs to lose weight, I've been in pain 12 years nearly 13 and I'm a size 10 and been slimmer. Though realise if really over weight it causes more problems.

Been in pain for days now and oh on holiday and I can barely walk, it's frustrating. My meds no longer work and there strong, a lot of tablets a day. So I've stopped taking them as no longer working and just affect my stomach. Sorry, fed up.

Sciatic back pain and osteoarthritis in knees

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