Erosive osteoarthritis pain but can't take NSAIDS

I too have severe osteoarthritis in my right knee-grade 4. I’m on a low dose blood thinner as well so I too can only take Tylenol. I find taking at night only mainly to relax and sleep works best. Also sleeping with a pillow between my legs helps as well. I also have been taking a supplement of Magnesium Glycinate with a multivitamin. I did get some relief from a Cortisone shot as well. My knee pain has gone from an 8 or 9 to a 3 or 4 most days. I don’t know exactly why but I’m grateful. I have a knee replacement in my future but I’m holding off as long as possible. Good luck-hope you find some relief soon.

Thanks for your reply! I'm waiting to hear back about cortisone injection... Soon I hope!

Thanks for the info!

What a great presentation! Thanks very much for sharing!
Chris

Hi Chris! When all medicine doesn't help, I have used acupuncture. Finding the right practioner us the key. It only lasts a day or two, but it is wonderful!
Hope you find the treatments that give some relief... we need a few in our arsenal.

I have same problem. Kidney disease prevents me from Nsaids. I couldn’t tolerate gabapentin. If you know that using a narcotic is not a problem for maybe Tramadol would be helpful. I cut them in half ie 25 mg. Even though Tylenol alone doesn’t help together they work. I only take it at night if aching pain interferes with my sleep . Can’t drive in the morning if I take it

I use ginger root and turmeric root (the actual roots peeled and put into a smoothie with greens and frozen berries and banana and coconut water (unsweetened). (I use about an inch of ginger root and an inch of turmeric or 1.5” of each if you can tolerate the strong ginger taste). The two roots work synergistically to fight pain and have a slight sedative effect so help with sleep at night but I also use in the morning if I have a migraine or arthritis pain. See Dr Neal Barnard’s great book, Foods That Fight Pain, for more info. Check though to make sure these roots don’t thin the blood. I sometimes get 3 migraines a week and when I drink these daily I go for two months without a migraine and arthritis pain is greatly helped as well. Plus you get a lot of nutrients that enhance general health and immunity. Hope this helps. A Nutrabullet blender (available at Costco) is a great tool for blending these smoothies and much easier to clean than regular blenders or Vitamix blender. I also add hemp hearts for protein and flax and chia seed. If you are interested I can provide the smoothie recipe. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for letting me know. I will give this a try! A recipe would make it easier for me and anyone else with this problem. Thank you 👍

Here you go:
My arthritis and migraine prevention and relief smoothie:

- 8 oz unsweetened coconut water (not coconut milk, but the clear coconut water -- many have additives, so look for one that says "coconut water" as the only ingredient. Trader Joe's has one that is unsweetened without additives at a great price point.

- 2 handfuls of organic fresh or frozen kale (or a Power Greens mix that includes kale, spinach and chard). Since the bags of greens sometimes get slimy by the end of the week, I buy the bags and throw them right into the freezer.

- half a cup of frozen triple berry mix (unsweetened, I get this at Trader Joe's in the freezer section - raspberries, strawberries and blueberries)

- half a banana, frozen in slices or fresh

- 1 to 1.5 inch piece of peeled ginger root (I use a carrot peeler to peel this)

- 1 to 1.5 inch piece of peeled turmeric root (always available at Whole Foods and sometimes at Jewel)

- A pinch or twist of black pepper to make the turmeric more bioavailable

- 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts for protein -- Costco has a great deal on a big bag of this

- 1 tablespoon each of flax seed and ground chia seed (I get ground chia because I've read the whole chia seeds can pass through our system undigested and we don't get the nutrients)

Toss ingredients into the Nutribullet and blend for maybe 10-20 seconds. Don't overblend because the mixture gets full of air and is not as tasty. Stop blending as soon as it looks like the ingredients are sufficiently mixed.

One last note: Try to resist the temptation to use high glycemic index fruits such as mango or pineapple. Recent research suggests that smoothies with high fructose fruits can contribute to fatty liver disease. More greens, and use berries only, is a good rule.

Wishing you a healthy and pain-free life!

Too many years of aspirin and NSAIDS have done a number on my body. I tried turmeric root, and found it "too putzy" for my life that includes a lot of busy days and travel.

A friend with RA, who also cannot use NSAIDS, nor most RA drugs, recommended curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) capsules. I did a bit of reading and, like @susanop found it works best in combination. I tried with ginger first, not too helpful. Then another friend said he found the ones with pepper worked better for him, so I got some. YES- the right combo. Being sensitive to meds, I started with 2 capsules a day and it helped. Then I asked my pain rehab doc what more I could do and she told me to double the amount. Now I am at 1200 mg/day and it is just about right for me.

In combination with daily paraffin baths and Voltaren gel, I think I have things about "as good as it gets" for my hands most days. And a lot of stretching and strengthening exercises. Even after 2 days this week of packing, hauling bags through airports, and two 4 hour flights, I am just stiff and tired today, not in terrible pain.
Sue