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Mine is in both knees and the ankle. The left knee is much worse than the right. The only thing I have found to lessen the pain is to keep the joint completely still. I also get some relief from hot soaks (heating pad doesn’t seem to help). The VA is actually “treating” me. It appears I need both knees to be totally replaced. At 60!!! I was told this originally when I was 56. VA says there is no relation between the accident that caused me to have my ankle fused and my pseudo gout. This doesn’t make sense to me because there is no history in my family of gout or pseudo gout. I had a doctor 4 years ago that thought I had a miniscus tear and went in to repair it just to realize that I didn’t have a miniscus.🤣
I have read before the links you provided, but do not have any of the issues listed. This is why I can only associate it to my accident. I can’t find anything on how soon the pseudo gout starts after a trauma. I also haven’t been able to find anything that would tell me if over dependence on my left knee aft my ankle fusion could also cause the pseudo gout (trauma).
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Good evening @pfreeman61, Thank you for letting me know that you have been gathering knowledge about pseudogout. Now, we are on the same page. I feel rather strongly about this because I lived with it and studied as much as a patient could about it. I was a member of a walking group that did inn to inn walks around the world. Pseudogout pretty much ended my favorite activity.....walking.
So here is what I understand today..........
Pseudogout is similar to regular gout except that the damaging crystals are a different chemical makeup and tend to congregate in joints, frequently the knee.
It is important to analyze the calcium and magnesium congregation in your body. Over or under can make a difference in this form of arthritis.
The crystals can gather around the edge of the meniscus and damage it. That is why your surgeon or clinician may want to try draining the area. As s/he extracts the synovial fluid in the joint area, many pseudogout crystals can also be withdrawn.
Eventually, without any other treatment, the joint may need surgery to eliminate the crystals completely. I never have experienced pseudogout again after my knee replacement.
I also noted that a prior traumatic injury can be a factor in the sudden arrival of the crystals. I don't know if that means at that affected joint or another place in your body.
So...you have now received the essence of my experience and research. I know you have heard from some other folks. @pfreeman61, it is just a fact of medicine that there are many types of presenting situations and sometimes just as many patients with varying results from medical treatments.
Trust is the keyword in this situation. You want to gather information from folks you can trust. You turned to Connect. And now you need to find a clinician who also earns your trust.
My very best to you. I can't help sharing with you that Connect has just been named the number one non-profit online community in the United States. You are helping us stay on top. Give me feedback and I will do whatever I can to fulfill your need for information.
Chris