Osteoarthritis

Stretching helps and strengthening the muscles around the affected joints with isometric exercises. Isometrics stress the joints a lot less and once strengthened can support the joint without agitating it. I have done this thru my PT on my ankle, hand and knee. It works.
Also Gabapentin seems to help. I was already taking it for femoral nerve pain but my arthritis in my right hand would wake me up. We tried increasing the dose of Gabapentin at night and it really helped. And helped throughout the day too.

I actually take 900mg of Gabapentin at bedtime. Do you take more than this? I hate to increase mine but if I knew that it would help I would actually try this. I can't take Cymbalta or Lyrica due to constipation issues but the Gabapentin doesn't do this to me. I am wondering if my inflammation is pressing on the Perineal Nerve by my knee. I know that 16 months out I'm so tired of being sore and stiff.

Gabapentin puts me to sleep. I cannot take it during the day.

Hi,

I am in the same boat-I have severe, grade 4 osteoarthritis of both knees, leaving me with intractable pain. The left is bone on bone and the right is bad after a compound fracture of the patella in 2018. I will be honest, not a lot helps and there really isn't much that takes the pain away. A knee replacement is not an option right now, as I am in my first 90 days of a new job as well as the fact I do not have a way to pay my bills for 8-12 weeks I would be off work. My short term disability won't approve the claim until I have been there for a year.

I have to severely limit the NSAIDS as well due to having had a duodenal ulcer from them and gastroparesis. I can take them 2-3 days a week and I agree with you-that is what seems to help the orthopedic pain. Gastroparesis allows me to do palliative care so I do have some opiate pain relievers which help some-and make the gastropareiss worse in the process.

Ginger oil taken internally (I buy empty pill capsules on Amazon) and put a food grade oil in them has good antiinflammatory effects and offer some relief-as well as a topical arnica ointment (also on Amazon). I also make an essential oil cream targeted specifically for pain (12 essential oils that offer pain relief for a variety of reasons), which can help.

I have had the injections (steroids, Synvisc and PRP) without much success. The steroids helped the right knee for a while but no longer do. PT helped some and light exercise (swimming is the best one, I have done water PT which helped).

I wish I had better answers for you.

I take 2400 mg a day, half at night and half in the morning. I’m 5’10” and
216 lbs., which explains part of the dose.
I also have

CIDP/A
MSAN which should cause me a lot of periferal nerve pain but I have none. My doctors theorize that may be because I was on a high dose of gabapentin at onset.

I just developed terrible ear pain which is caused by TMJ - who knew TMJ can be the cause of truly awful ear pain. And osteoarthritis - big time - is in my jaw...which is causing TMJ, which is causing chronic ear pain.
I too can't take the NSAIDs because of heart disease but they certainly work to decrease the inflammation! I take only Tylenol for pain...it helps but not the culprit of inflammation.
Anyone have any ideas on what can work or did work for them related to my situation?
TY kindly.

I don't know anything about your diet, but sugar causes inflammation in the body. I have cut out all refined sugar and eat fruit. I think this helps the arthritis in my joints.