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Suggest Treatment For Symptoms Of Osteoarthritis
Question: Hi,
I am a male,Belgian,age 68,weight 70 kg,height 1m75,,cycling during the warm halfyear, sedentary during the winter. Until 6 months ago I was very fit for my age. Then i experienced difficulty turning 180° in bed in the morning. Days (or weeks?) before that I had a fall with my bicycle that seemed to cause some chest contusion with minor pain on one side between the ribs (handlebar impaction?). Around that time one morning lying in bed on my belly I felt a strange painless shift in my back as if the chest separated from the pelvis. These two antecedents led me to discard a nontraumatic cause (ankylosing spondylitis,polymyalgia rheumatica etc.) for the inconveniences I experience since then, because I have NO BACK PAIN but a feeling of weakness that seems to inhibit the swift execution of movements like getting on my hands and knees. A temporary complaint (first 2 weeks) was tightness of the connection neck-shoulder joints.The past five months the situation is stable and mainly involves my pelvic and shoulder girdle. The hip joints are tender in the morning,but only when lying on the joint or pressing on the top of the femur neck,wich leads me to believe that not the joint but the periarticular structures cause the pain. Walking improves during the day and the cushionless(stocky) feeling of the femur heads is getting less in time. Sitting during the day for 15 minutes and then standing up is a bit troublesome in the sense that I have to take a few steps as to adjust my hips to the new situation.
The hallmark of my complaints is muscle stiffness in the morning that invariably diminishes during the day. The muscles involved the inside of the thighs and the proximal arm muscles (the anterior half of the deltoid muscles bilaterally).On top of that I awake with stiff hands (a bit clawlike,fingers a little swollen) and wrists that are briefly painful when the corresponding arm makes a minor wrong movement. The deltoids stiffness don't disappear entirley during the day and my wrists can't take the pressure to do push-ups partly because I can't make a rectangle between my forearms and my hand palms.
I have omitted to seek medical advise because of the improvement during the day and the hope of a spontaneous regeneration. I hope you can shed some light on my situation.
sincerely, YYYY@YYYY
I am a male,Belgian,age 68,weight 70 kg,height 1m75,,cycling during the warm halfyear, sedentary during the winter. Until 6 months ago I was very fit for my age. Then i experienced difficulty turning 180° in bed in the morning. Days (or weeks?) before that I had a fall with my bicycle that seemed to cause some chest contusion with minor pain on one side between the ribs (handlebar impaction?). Around that time one morning lying in bed on my belly I felt a strange painless shift in my back as if the chest separated from the pelvis. These two antecedents led me to discard a nontraumatic cause (ankylosing spondylitis,polymyalgia rheumatica etc.) for the inconveniences I experience since then, because I have NO BACK PAIN but a feeling of weakness that seems to inhibit the swift execution of movements like getting on my hands and knees. A temporary complaint (first 2 weeks) was tightness of the connection neck-shoulder joints.The past five months the situation is stable and mainly involves my pelvic and shoulder girdle. The hip joints are tender in the morning,but only when lying on the joint or pressing on the top of the femur neck,wich leads me to believe that not the joint but the periarticular structures cause the pain. Walking improves during the day and the cushionless(stocky) feeling of the femur heads is getting less in time. Sitting during the day for 15 minutes and then standing up is a bit troublesome in the sense that I have to take a few steps as to adjust my hips to the new situation.
The hallmark of my complaints is muscle stiffness in the morning that invariably diminishes during the day. The muscles involved the inside of the thighs and the proximal arm muscles (the anterior half of the deltoid muscles bilaterally).On top of that I awake with stiff hands (a bit clawlike,fingers a little swollen) and wrists that are briefly painful when the corresponding arm makes a minor wrong movement. The deltoids stiffness don't disappear entirley during the day and my wrists can't take the pressure to do push-ups partly because I can't make a rectangle between my forearms and my hand palms.
I have omitted to seek medical advise because of the improvement during the day and the hope of a spontaneous regeneration. I hope you can shed some light on my situation.
sincerely, YYYY@YYYY
Brief Answer:
Osteoarthritis likely.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
From your symptoms it seems that your joints have undergone osteoarthritic changes. These are basically age related degenerative changes in the weight bearing joints like knee and hip and is characterized by joint pain and stiffness. Upon movement the stiffness gradually relives. Sometimes application of hot pads can make the movement possible.
The treatment options include pain killers, hot fomentation, lubricating agents like glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin , dycerin, etc and some life style modifications and physiotherapy.
Right now you can start taking Tablet Tylenol ( Acetaminophen) Double Strength after breakfast and after dinner. It is suggested to add calcium supplements 500mg each twice daily. This will take care of your mild symptoms in 3-5 days. You can also add Vitamin D3 supplements after getting your levels evaluated.
You can start with walking and aerobic fitness exercises, quadriceps strengthening, patellar tapping, lateral heel wedges, etc- under the guidance of your physiotherapist.
A Big No to Stair case, squatting postures, any chair which has a sitting platform lower than your knees.
In severe cases intra articular injections of steroids and hyaluronic acid may be needed after consultation with your orthopaedician.
I also encourage you to consult an orthopedician for physical examination. A few blood tests, X-rays of the hip, CT / MRI scans will help us diagnose the condition and help us in choosing the best approach of treatment.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal
Osteoarthritis likely.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
From your symptoms it seems that your joints have undergone osteoarthritic changes. These are basically age related degenerative changes in the weight bearing joints like knee and hip and is characterized by joint pain and stiffness. Upon movement the stiffness gradually relives. Sometimes application of hot pads can make the movement possible.
The treatment options include pain killers, hot fomentation, lubricating agents like glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin , dycerin, etc and some life style modifications and physiotherapy.
Right now you can start taking Tablet Tylenol ( Acetaminophen) Double Strength after breakfast and after dinner. It is suggested to add calcium supplements 500mg each twice daily. This will take care of your mild symptoms in 3-5 days. You can also add Vitamin D3 supplements after getting your levels evaluated.
You can start with walking and aerobic fitness exercises, quadriceps strengthening, patellar tapping, lateral heel wedges, etc- under the guidance of your physiotherapist.
A Big No to Stair case, squatting postures, any chair which has a sitting platform lower than your knees.
In severe cases intra articular injections of steroids and hyaluronic acid may be needed after consultation with your orthopaedician.
I also encourage you to consult an orthopedician for physical examination. A few blood tests, X-rays of the hip, CT / MRI scans will help us diagnose the condition and help us in choosing the best approach of treatment.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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