I have osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, at a comparatively young age. In addition to having a total knee replacement at 55, I’ve had surgery on one foot years ago
and am hoping that additional surgery will be as successful as my TKR was.
I am pretty confident that it will reduce pain and allow me to be more active, but I’d love to hear your stories.
( even if it involves your much older parents or grandparents! 
)
Listening. I have OA at a young age as well. I am delaying surgery in favor of strength training, stretching (to maintain range of motion) and will likely try some new, less invasive treatments, like PRP.
People I have known who have had joint replacements have been very satisfied. The most common reaction is “why did I wait so long?” The only unhappy people are those who wore the replacements out too quickly. I am afraid I would be one of those people, so I am not having it done just yet.
I have high pain tolerance, and always believed that if I was more active, I would build up strength to support my joints and my pain would go away. ( although one of the reasons why my joints were shot, was because I had been very active)
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
By the time I went in to a ortho doc for my knee, it was bone on bone and I was just months away from not being able go walk around the block * with* a cane.
Despite this, because I was just 54, the knee specialist told me he would not do a replacement for ten years.
I had already tried cortisone, exercises, synvisc one injections and prescription pain medication with no relief.
But still I did not get a second opinion until I was so bad I was seriously considering heroin to relieve the pain.
X_X
Then I realized that was crazy, and I found another doctor. I had been given a referral to a senior dr in the practice, but he was now partially retired, so I went with a new surgeon which was a little scary. But he was a great choice as he had learned new techniques in school and was a great listener to boot. ( unlike my original dr.)
Pain means something is not right.
Its true that after a joint replacement, you can no longer run, or jump and you need to moderate your activities. But it is likely, you are not doing those activities anyway.
Don’t be like me, and get so bad off that you feel like your life is over.
Replacements now can last 20 years. Even if it only lasts ten years, it is very likely that new improved techniques and materials will be available. Actually, although I had it done less than two years ago, new materials are already being tested. They have also been helping patients grown new cartilage.
But you have to have * some* cartilage left for that to be a possibility!
DH has osteoarthritis in his hips. He needed a new right hip but waited and waited and waited. He was in terrible pain night and day. When he woke up in recovery after having had the hip replacement, his first comment to me was, “It’s sore where they cut me open, but I don’t have pain anymore!”
Five years later he needed the left hip done, and he didn’t hesitate at all. Happy, happy hips. He has continued to play tennis and squash.
I had no idea mid-50’s is young for arthritis. I’ve had it for ages. I need my big toe fused but I refuse. It’s in a bunch of joints and I cope.
I limit prescription pain killers because they are demonstrated dangers to the heart. Try to take only when it’s really bad, like when I’ve managed to damage a joint.
Best things for osteo are weight lifting and yoga. These go together. With arthritis, I think they truly need to go together because the latter stretches and increases muscle, ligament and tendon flexibility that support joints and the former builds muscle, strength and stability. I have worked with a trainer, which I think is a great idea (single or in groups) to build a repertoire of exercises and so you can understand what goes with what and how to work areas. I’m actually starting again with a trainer because one of my knees has become a real problem. I firmly believe that becoming stronger has significantly improved my arthritis. With the two, yoga and weight-lifting, I have much greater range of motion with much more stability and decreased pain in most affected areas.
I know I have some arthritis, as movement on first arising and on getting out of a chair after sitting are becoming less than graceful. However I can walk and bike for miles, no problem. The one ibuprofen I occasionally take gives me a very good day indeed!
Two male friends, athletic go getters have had both hips replaced in the last few years. They are so happy to have pain free motion back in their lives!
I don’t really know why my first dr insisted that I was too young, he had certainly performed many knee replacements on people much younger. But as I am not a professional athlete perhaps he thought I wasn’t glamourous enough. I think of 50’s as being young, because my mother did not have a TKR until she was in her 60’s, and my grandmother had hers in her 70’s.
Part of why I have arthritis severe enough to need surgery is because I have hyper mobility syndrome, making my joints very unstable. For instance my knees hyperextend. ( well now, only one does, because they didn’t design the replacement joint to match!) They are only now starting to see that hyper mobility is connected to higher risk of osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis. ( for starters)
I had been in excellent shape, until I wasn’t. I worked outside all day alongside men & women 30 years younger. Which was my problem. I didn’t feel pain when I was busy, and it wasn’t enough to make me get an X-ray until I had no cartilage and the femur and tibia were quite worn. You don’t want it to get so advanced.
It’s great if over the counter meds and other palliative treatments are enough to allow you to function. But if they aren’t, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by not dealing with the cause.
So @emeraldkity4, are you going to have the knee replacement? When??
I have what my ortho refers to a mild case, so with the pain I have in my knees sometimes, I hate to think of what others of you are going through! What bothers me the most so far is that soon I will one of those who takes the elevator instead of the stairs even when it’s only a flight or two. That’ll teach me to be judgmental of the “able bodied” folks who do that now!
Very happy, I had the knee replacement two years ago in the spring. It went very well, but now I need my foot cleaned up, because bone spurs & such still make it difficult to walk, especially on uneven ground, which I want to fix so I can go hiking!
If you are talking about COX-2 inhibitors, you might want to revisit that. I’m quite aware of the warnings, but personally, long-term Meloxicam has been good for me.
- One of my kids has hyper-mobility. It's a big problem. I've been trying to get her to see a trainer so she can develop strength around her joints. Certain basic techniques and moves are extremely helpful for controlling joint movement. But she's young and doesn't have the time.
- Piroxicam/meloxicam, etc. are known causes of heart attacks and strokes. And many people can't tolerate the side-effects, whether gas or something worse like ulcers in the esophagus (which happened to a relative). I get side-effects. I take one pill when necessary, with emphasis on necessary.
- I need surgery to fuse my big toe because it was damaged in an accident and the arthritis has progressed there to the point the joint is a mass of bone. I'm refusing because a) it may not help in my case and b) the recovery is absurdly long.
I am hypermobile as well. Who knew it would be a problem? I am trying now to protect my joints with more strength.
Ekitty, people who have surgery do seem happy with it. DK specifically about the foot surgery. Is there a long recovery? What exactly do the docs want to do to your foot? Shave off spurs? Will you lose the ability to do anything long term from the surgery? Like will your range of motion diminish? Your ability to walk long distances?
I am not on prescription pain relievers. I have pretty bad arthritis on X-ray, but to watch me move, I don’t look that bad, except on cold days. Ekitty, like you, it didn’t bother me that much. When docs do the “does this hurt/can you do this” tests on me, I pass with flying colors. It is just when they see the X-rays they freak out. Anecdotally, I have met people younger than me, late forties, who have had joint replacements and are satisfied. But I have also met people who have worn out their new joints after only a few years (maybe I need new friends?). Like I said, I don’t want to do it yet. The replacements last what, 25 years? I figure I will live to be 80. I don’t want to outlast my new joints! Nor do I want to do it too soon, if there is some great leap forward around the corner. In the next six months I will try PRP/stem cells injections. Many docs here are doing it. The one I intend to go to makes only the most cautious claims for it. The procedure is expensive and not covered by insurance. It is not supposed to foreclose any other options, however, so I am going to give it a try.
Haven’t heard of Meloxicam.
I also have fibromyalgia, and was taking Tramadol for that, but my naturopath is no longer able to prescribe it because the gov a few months back changed it to a more restrictive class of medications and my allopathic physician shys away from prescribing *any pain medications. She doesn’t really get that I don’t get addicted because I don’t get the same response as other people, but still I get * some benefit from it.
So currently I am on over the counter meds and edible medical marijuana which I use for sleep & which has the added benefit of being an anti inflammatory. I also use a penetrating cream that has cannabis in it. ( along with other ingredients, like clove, camphor & cayenne).
I’m trying to manage without the Tramadol, although I think that it probably was less damaging to my stomach, liver and kidneys, than the doses of NASIDs that I otherwise need. Tramadol works pretty well for fibro according to studies, but since I also have the osteoarthritis & osteoporosis, it’s hard to tell exactly where the pain originates.
I am very grateful for the medical marijuana however- it was a last resort, but it works and without apparent side effects. ( THC is the chemical that gets you " high", but marijuana with CBDs, is what the medical dispensaries sell- unlike the recreational stores- and the CBDs are what you want for pain. There are other cannabinoids that are present as well. http://www.safeaccessnow.org/using_medical_cannabis )
The fibro is much worse when I can’t exercise, which is why I really want to get my feet fixed. I did some research and found that fibro may be tied to circulation, so I am doing what I can to improve that.
The surgery should improve my ability to walk, because currently, my limit is walking one mile on a smooth sidewalk and that is with enough pain that I have to stay off my feet afterwards. Frustrating, but recovery from the TKR went quickly enough that I think the foot will be pretty easy.
I had a major bunionectomy on the same foot 16 years ago, and that recovery was also very easy, especially considering that I had my bones cut & screwed back together, in 3 places. I had very little discomfort afterward and was able to resume normal activities immediately ( or as much as you can do while on crutches, for the six weeks or whatever it was) it goes fast & afterward is so much better, it is completely worth it.
EK, I am so glad to hear your TKR was successful! I do hope you soon get relief and that any future surgeries will be successful.
I am a 53 year old with Osteoarthritis and Osteopenia. When I was 41 years old, I saw an orthopedic doctor because I was having terrible right shoulder pain. When I saw the orthopedic doctor and had x-rays and and an MRI, there was an “incidental” finding in my humerus and I was referred to an orthopedic oncologist. Thankfully, the “finding” was something they believe I’ve had my entire life … a bit of a malformation in my humerus. The x-rays and MRI also showed that I had no cartilage left in my right AC joint, so I had a partial claviculectomy to remedy the problem, and that has been very successful.
In 2006, I began experiencing knee problems. After several years of injections (Cortisone, Orthovisc, Supartz, Euflexxa), physical therapy, medication, and surgery on one knee for a torn meniscus, I finally broke down and had both knees replaced three months ago. It’s the best decision I ever made! I spent two nights in the hospital and two weeks in rehab and, though the doctor told me it will be a year before I’m fully healed, it has already made such a huge difference!!! I’m no longer walking with a cane (something I had done for several weeks BEFORE my surgery due to such horrible limping) and, though I’m still “aware” of my knees, they don’t ache the way they once did. The pain I have now is totally different and not constant and I notice improvement with every passing day.
To add to the misery of the knee problems I was suffering, I developed plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. I absolutely could NOT bear the thought of having to deal with both those things at the same time, so I began looking for remedies. I eventually went to Fleet Feet where I was fitted for a pair of shoes and inserts and, though very expensive, I continue to get new shoes and inserts there and my feet thank me daily!
Arthritis is definitely something that has been passed down on my Dad’s side of the family. Several family members, including my dad and his only sibling, have had joint replacement surgery. My brother, five years younger than I, is a candidate and is currently considering that option.
Splashmom, it’s wonderful to hear that your knee replacements were such a success.
I have what my doctor describes as mild arthritis . It is a result of scoliosis and also some high impact workouts I did in my younger years. It mostly affects my lower back and occasionally my right hip.
It isn’t anything at this point that requires any medical procedures or prescription meds.
My hip has been bothering me for the last month ( since traveling with my dogs for a few days and sleeping on a twin bed with two corgis happily taking up most of the mattress 
Oddly, I noticed since adding sweet cherries to my Breville juice concoctions, the pain has disappeared ! I looked it up and apparently , cherries have some anti-inflammatory properties.
Not sure if there is a connect , but I went from painful walking up and down stairs to zero pain, and no more Motrin
That’s great!
I’ve heard that about cherries somewhere.
My dog sleeps on my bed too. We have a double bed, but he is at least 55 lbs and I also have to share with H.
Dog sleeps on my side of course.
You might try pigeon pose to help your hips. But read what she says about straining your back.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7339/how-to-do-pigeon-pose-the-right-way.html
Ije62, my SIL stopped her tomato habit (highly inflammatory food) and buys concentrated cherry juice. She says her joints feel 90% improved.
I have arthritis in my neck and hips and must say that my flexibility has greatly improved and pain has lessened after taking up GENTLE yoga. It is critical that a person learns proper yoga technique and alternative positions to protect themselves from yoga injuries.
Kajon, I never heard that about tomatoes, which I consume a lot of. I am fascinated by the benefits of healing foods .