Anyone else suffer with arthrosis?
 

A lifetime of exercise combined with evidently some unfortunate genetics seems to be dooming me to a life of pain. I use the term arthrosis as what I have is degenerative joint damage due to wear and tear. Not inflammation, etc.

It basically started when after about 10 years of running (maybe 10-12 miles a week and an occasional 5k) a swollen knee sent me to the orthopedic surgeon where he proclaimed my knees were shot. X-rays showed severe wear and very little cartilage left. I was 49 at the time. No more running. My knee pain is manageable, but getting annoying. After the knee pain discovery, my left hip has also developed what I can only assume is arthrosis.

So, I continued with weight lifting. Nothing crazy, but I've essentially been working out with weights since 8th grade for football, etc. As a result, I now think my elbows (and to an extent my shoulders) are shot. I went through this phase a couple of years ago where I was doing about 100 push-ups 3 times a week (a set of 40 and then sets of 20/20/10 etc until I was worn out). I had to quit due to the pain. Crazy, but it can be incredibly painful. Sometimes to the point of making it difficult to sleep.

Anybody else in this situation? I'm only 54 (6'3", 215 lbs and otherwise in good shape) and wonder how I am going to make it another 20 or 30 years like this. About the first 5 minutes of getting out of bed in the morning is nothing but pain.

I'm 48 was very active in my younger years, diagnosed psoriatic arthritis. I'm in constant pain from my feet to lower back. I feel your pain and totally understand your frustration. Doctors are pretty much useless when pressured to keep the patients flowing. the only relief I got was through pain meds and they have taken most of those away leaving me in a hopeless situation.

I’m floating in the same boat. It used to be that the pain would be in the evening and get better as the day progressed. Now, I’m hurting all the time. Can’t imagine it getting worse but I’m sure it will. My issues are with my right knee, both shoulders and neck.

Switch to swimming

Exactly!! Half-jokingly, if I "knew then what I know now", I would not be so hard core. That was sort of my problem. But, in reality, I think genetics probably played a part. Lost of people run/exercise all their lives and don't have any issues. In my case, my joints are shot.

Swimming is an option, but I'd really struggle to make time do that. I am actually still really active, it's just painful.

I see all this stuff in the news about the opioid crisis and part of me understands. Pain (especially chronic, day-in, day-out pain) really sucks.

I turn 58 next month and I'm in EXACTLY the same position. Motocross racing, MTB racing, trail running, and decades of weight training...all took a heavy toll on my joints. Now everything hurts!

I'm having elbow surgery next week to remove bone spurs and permanently inflamed olecranon bursa. Left elbow first, then three weeks later the right.

My patella's have arthritis and osteophytes from riding through patella tendonitis for years. Had to give up the bike at 55. Arthritis in my neck from a cervical fusion, as a result of a MTB fall. My shoulder A/C's hurt so badly I can't put anything over my head and had to give up prone surfing because I can't paddle anymore.

I take Celebrex until my stomach can't handle it anymore, then I suffer for a few weeks until my stomach recuperates.

If I could go back I'd be a bookworm.



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I ruined my feet running. I had trauma induced arthritis and ran anyway. Messed up my knee, hips, and now I’m in line for a toe joint replacement. Moderate exercise is good for you, but over do it and you will pay.

Stuff like this is why I resisted playing football.

"Switch to swimming"
~~~~~~~~~~~

I was thinking the other day about all of the injuries I suffered in 4 years of HS football.
Lucky to have none be serious.
.
When I played tournament tennis, I would get my cardio from swimming and my leg strength from walking the hills behind Stanford U.
I'd even walk backwards up the steepest hills for my Vastus Medialis muscles.
Important muscles for tennis.
.
Jogging never appealed to me.

.

I never had any ill effects from playing football for 9 years but one good crash on a dirt bike broke my heel, which shortened one leg, which led to a back surgery, a knee surgery, and a future surgery on the other knee.
That was according to a doctor Rogoff D.P.M. (whatever the heck DPM means ;) )
She seemed pretty sharp so I believed her.

I shoulda bought a honda instead ;)

I am starting to agree with this. I actually see these Crossfit people and cringe as I bet a lot of them are going to suffer in a couple of decades. You can't tell them that now, though.

Thanks for the responses. It's somewhat comforting to hear that I am not the only one... My wife tried to tell me it was diet related and that eating "anti-inflammatory" foods would solve the problem. Not that simple... :rolleyes:

My current worry is that everything I do is taking more life out of my joints. OTC pain meds still help, so that's where I am right now. The orthopedic doctor prescribed Celebrex, but my insurance refused to pay for it (and it was not cheap).

Get tested for Lyme disease.

I can relate - had a knee replaced last year - old basketball injury - but kicked off RA - take care of your joints!

Celebrex is a patented cocktail of ingredients you can find in different proportions elsewhere. Try meloxicam which is essentially Advil but lasts longer in the body and is much cheaper than Advil. You do need a prescription. You also must protect your stomach and there are some cheap and effective anti acids or proton pump inhibitors, as they are known, such as omeprazole.

Ask any construction worker about the body wearing out resulting in pain. Apparently you can go about things in moderation or you can wear yourself out, literally. When we were young we didn't think about that. You must stay active but that doesn't mean you should continue abusing the body.

Yes, swimming would be one of the ideal exercises but not always convenient. Yoga might be good but I'm not a groupy. Don't go to a gym for the same reason.

Lyme disease can cause joint degeneration?

Good info. Thanks.

LOL...Where did you get that information? Celecoxib (sulfonamide moiety) There are a few non-active ingredients as filler and absorption aids e.g gelatin and lactose.

Celebrex has been a miracle drug for me. It's not cheap, but its a lot better than being addicted to opiates. I've been taking it for three years with great success. About every 8 months I give my stomach a break for two weeks, but Celebrex is the easiest on your stomach of all the NSAIDs. I'm stockpiling it while my insurance covers it.



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I'm borderline kidney failure...no NSAIDs for me.
How's Celebrex wrt kidneys?

celebrex is bad for your liver - bad for kidneys - be very careful with any alcohol consumption with it. It works -

Consensi is available since May '18. valdacoxib (Bextra) was withdrawn from the market as was rofecoxib (Vioxx). Lumiracoxib and Etoricoxib (Arcoxia) are sold in other countries. That shows that Celebrex is not totally unique.

There are also many more natural substances that can inhibit COX enzymes but I'll leave it at that.


flavonoids, fish oils, vitamin D

All due respect...You're obviously not someone dealing with the chronic everyday pain of degenerative joints. Something tells me plant metabolites and fish oil ain't going to ease my pain.

I do not however, believe "flavonoids" are quackery. I was involved in a study in the early 90's that showed the flavonoid Genistein (isoflavone from soy) being very effective at inhibiting angiogenesis in estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive breast tumors. The company, Aeron Biotechnologies, sold me their cryo-bank of cytosol and paraffin breast cancer tissues and their diagnostic subsidiary to fund their focus on Genistien oncology applications. They've done well with it.

Years ago I read that Citrus pulp, especially oranges, was loaded with bioflavonoids.

You haven't read many of my posts, Craig. I'm likely going in for shoulder replacement, (they want to do both) but my right shoulder is so painful that I have to sometimes use my left arm to get my right arm off the mouse and back to the keyboard.

I use Meloxicam and Voltaren gel and sometimes a lidocaine patch. For the left shoulder and the rest of my joints I try to eat sensibly with greens and fruit part of my daily diet. Also I haven't had any meat of any kind since 1984. Any.

Well, there's your problem. ;)

Ouch Zeke!, I do apologize. I did not know that, and certainly know how you feel. Constant pain is very depressing. I also eat healthy greens and fruit, but do enjoy my steaks.

I had cortisone and lidocaine injections last week. They don't help much anymore. I agree with you that Celebrex is a risk long term, but I'm desperate and it helped for a long time.

My left elbow surgery is on Aug 29th, followed by the right elbow on Sept 12 when the left splint comes off. I sure hope it works. They say that it will...But surgeons make money cutting and will tell you anything you want to hear to get the billing.

After reading these stories (Zeke, Craig) I don’t feel so bad. I take naproxen for pain - that’s all. On a good day I can walk normally, other days i hobble around like a penguin. On bad days I walk like Grampaw on The Real McCoys. But I’m not in the kind of pain you describe.

Well, it's not unusual for us guys to have worn things out. I manage but it's a controlled management. For instance, I might as well throw every hammer I have in the trash. These are not friendly tools for me anymore. OTOH, I was on the roof this morning changing out a blower fan for my roof top air conditioning unit and spent the afternoon outside welding a project for a customer in this heat.

Pain sucks but the best thing is to work around it as much as you can, or try to ignore it. Pain is life at an older age and life can be a pain. I choose the former and just get a little more tough.

You guys remember when y'all kept at me as being the curmudgeon? Well, that was a time when all this was coming down on me. Fvvk all that. Now I'm glad to wake up in the morning. After that, POC.

My own method of pain control - mount the sill bib at 3' and the hose reel at 5' so I don't have to bend over to use them. My shoes are no longer on the floor in the closet, I put them on a shoulder-level shelf.

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Zeke.. No expert in your particular aches & pains but just chiming in on Voltaren. That molecule is the only thing that works for me for pain (inflamation). It's fantastic...except in gel form...

In pill form it works wonders (but you need to coat your stomach). In patch form (cold patch) it's the absolute best because of the targeted delivery (never seen them in the US, I buy mine in Europe OTC when I travel there or ask friends to bring them to me). In gel, it does F-all by comparison... Just a heads up, do try the pill form if possible or better yet get your hands on the voltaren patch - maybe Canada has them ?

No daily pain yet, but I felt ten years younger when I moved to SWFL. There's something about the warm and humidity that effects my joints.

Likewise the cold and dry of the North are not your friend.

Anyone use a sauna with success?

Inflammation
 

Your wife may be on to something. Have you tried turmeric? Turmeric has been shown to help reduce inflammation and improve joint health. The problem is that turmeric is not absorbed well unless the supplement is enhanced in some way. Look for turmeric that uses hydro-soluble technology to help it absorb better.

I don’t have any inflammation. Just joint degeneration...