Osteoarthritis of knees and herniated disc in spine

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2obese2
2obese2 Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
HI, I'm only 48 yrs old - recently diagnosed with Osteoarthritis of both knees and in terrible pain. I also have herniated disc in spine so doing most exercise aggravates one or the other! I just finished 2 months of PT and the pool helped the most, but once I started on land - my sciatica flared up & had to stop. I waited a few weeks, then joined the gym/pool and continued the exercises on my own. Back in pool, thought I was ok - then after one week, my back went out & sciatica pain has been horrible at night. Been on muscle relaxers past few days & its getting better. I dont want to stop again but it needs to rest for pain to diminish - this is so frustrating!! I'm trying to lose 25lbs - have my FitnessPal at 1200 calories per day, but havent lost more than 2-3 lbs after 5 weeks! :sad:

The thing that aggravates me the most is the leg curls and bicycle which I was told would help stretch and strengthen my legs/hamstrings, but behind my knees is the worst pain and sometimes i can barely walk. I do lots of stretching before I work out -(which is maybe 1hr total) I can only handle bike for about 8 minutes before back of knees hurt, (up to my hamstrings too)
Everytime I go to Dr. - he says my knees are severe and need replacements! ugh There's got to be some excercise I can do to help to relieve arthritis pain and make walking easier, (plus lose weight)

Does anyone have any similar issues?

Thanks!
Ann

Replies

  • LdBhere
    LdBhere Posts: 4
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    Hi Ann, I not only am a 55 year old overweight female, I too, have arthritis in both knees (moderate in the left and severe in the right) I was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 26. Starting at my neck and going down! I know that by losing this weight, my rehab post surgery is going to be so much easier on me, however, I'm limited to water exercises or short rides on the stationary bike for my physical activity. I use a cane frequently while walking, which does help. I am in pain daily, but it's only going to get worse the more weight I put on, so I've got to start going the other direction. I am 4 months post surgery for hernia repair, so it's going to be a slow weight loss, but I am determined that I will lose it! I also work at a Transitional Care Rehab facility and the nutritionist there advised me NOT to go below 1200 or above 2000 calories per day. If you go below 1200, your body will think it's starving and will go into a preserving mode and hold onto the fat while burning muscle nutrients and make it almost impossible to lose any weight. I just started as well, so I'm looking for motivational friends to help keep me focused. I'm also maintaining a food journal to keep on track. Any weight loss is better than gaining, so good for you!!! :-)
  • Suarezmari
    Suarezmari Posts: 6
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    I'm only 39 and have moderate OA on both knees. I am living proof that 20 pounds make all the difference in the world! I lost them and my pain went away unfortunately, the weight found me again and here we are. I have done Hyalgan injections for the past 3 years and that seems to help a bit. At least enough to help me do at least 45 mins on th bike.

    My .2 cents - don't go below the 1200 calorie line! And find a comfortable way for you to burn the calories. As my PT says, everything counts! If your knees are bothering you after 5 minutes, grab a chair and keep your arms moving. It will be a slow process but we can definitely get it going n the right direction! Overtime you will build the strength.
  • 2obese2
    2obese2 Posts: 6
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    Thanks! Well we can motivate one another :)
  • 2obese2
    2obese2 Posts: 6
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    Yea I heard not to go under 1200. Up'd my cals this week lets see if anything changes? ( prob gain the 2 back) lol I just did 45 min walking in pool, felt better. Have my legs up now with ice on knees, not hurting too bad. I have done the orthovisc shots which don't help me too much, cortisone works better. I know losing weight will make us all feel better, along with exercise:)
  • Laura062513
    Laura062513 Posts: 15 Member
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    hey there, I'm 27 and when I was 23 was in bad car accident that left me with few herniated disc in my lumbar, bulging disc in my neck I was also pregnant at that time. after I had my son they had to operate on my back I now have hardware. I have 4 screws 2 connectors. since I had the herniated disc I now live with sciatica pain and have moderate/ severe permanent damage to both legs and I'm currently on Lyrica it helps sometimes but not always and I take daily muscle relaxers and pain medication. I have gained about 100 lbs and I'm currently working on losing it slowly but surely. I've just started to ease into exercising I ride the bikewith the llumbar support and with help of a trainer few other exercises that are easy on my injuries. if you'd like to add me I'll be more than happy help motivate you any way I can
  • nextrightthing
    nextrightthing Posts: 408 Member
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    I don't know about the other concerns you raise but, I am following a program that is helping my knees. It is called "treat your own knee arthritis", by Jim Johnson, P.T. He knows a lot of knees, knee exercises and Knee surgery. I have been doing this program for almost 3 weeks and it is helping to strengthen my knees.
  • padams2359
    padams2359 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I have mild arthritis in my knees. Right, ice skating accident in high school, and left, a car accident in college. 3 back surgeries for L4-L5 problems. Definate arthritis there. Different doctors give different names, all the same. You are doing stretching which helps. You might want to try Yoga for some gradual muscle stability. My last surgery was a fusion 3 years ago.
  • 2obese2
    2obese2 Posts: 6
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    I'll check out that book - looks interesting...I see it got good ratings. Thanks for the info!! (anything helps) :smile:
  • yolandaelizabet
    yolandaelizabet Posts: 9
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    Had a herniated disk three times about 9 years ago. Finally I was operated and shortly after the op I was in pain. I woke up with pain in my back every morning, had severe pain almost 24/7. The doctors I've been to said I'd had to live with it. Easier said than done. All in all I've been in pain almost 24/7 for close to 7 years until I'd had enough and did some research on the internet. Two years ago I started to do squats (without using weights) and other exercise such as push ups, pull ups and planks. Shortly after I started with those exercises my pain started to fade. Now I'm 99% of the time pain free. Yay! You see it's my muscles that protect the weak spot in my back, and absorb all the shocks (walking, jumping, cycling etc.) and that means no pain.

    There are easy ways to do push ups, starting with standing in front of a wall, placing your hands flat against the wall and then move your body forward and then let your arms push it backwards. Anybody can do that: pregnant women, old people etc.
  • 2obese2
    2obese2 Posts: 6
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    There are some yoga classes at my gym, I'll check those out as well. Thanks! I'm wondering if I could even get on the floor! lol They do have OA pool classes every week which I was thinking of joining.

    Right now I have to keep my one knee straight - cant tell if its from sciatica or OA - I keep it propped up on back of trash can (upside down) at work - this is where most my pain is this week. (Behind the knee/leg) Steps or bending are a killer! I'm taking Skelaxin which helps a lot.

    You ALL are an inspiration with your stories - I cant even imagine being unable to walk, having surgeries, constant pain, in an accident, using a cane/walker - all at such a young age. :(
  • 2obese2
    2obese2 Posts: 6
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    WOW! Don't you just love Dr's, saying live with it. Mine keeps saying oh well, you just need 2 knee replacements. (He never mentioned PT - I had to ask) You really have to research and take charge.

    What a great idea - doing push ups against wall - build your upper body to gain muscle and get your metabolism going. Thanks.
  • dlmskidmore
    dlmskidmore Posts: 3
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    I am female, 62, with osteoarthritis in both knees. Needed to lose minimum 69 pounds and just restarted this plan a couple weeks ago. I do all my exercise in the pool, and it I don't do it, my knees get much worse!! I occasionally have problems with Bakers Cysts behind the knees which also makes knees very stiff. I use RICE: rest, elevation, compression (at night) and ice, when they get really bad. I had the SynviscOne injections in both knees two weeks ago, and after about 10 days there was a real difference. I still have to be careful going down stairs not to stress the worse (right) knee. I am enthusiastic about the weight loss, which I jumped back on when I got sick and lost the first four pounds. So, total loss to date is 6 pounds, working out to one pound per week on calorie count.
  • tenajh
    tenajh Posts: 208 Member
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    I have had my joints flare up with my OA, have had 4 surgeries to repair damage to knees, neck, foot and wrist. I have MS, I find that pilates yoga helps with toning. I am lifting - just doing what I can , when I can. At least start out with upper body and abs, as there is not really an impact on your knees. For cardio, walk. I do a treadmill on an incline or just outside at a brisk pace. I find using pure spearmint or peppermint oil on sore muscles and joints quite helpful for the pain. I have also noted that I am intolerant to gluten (labs confirmed this through specimen testing) When I maintain a mostly gluten free diet, I have less pain and swelling to the joints. best wishes in your journey and please feel free to add me as a friend. We can struggle together, I am 49. :flowerforyou:

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