Arthritis in fingers / knees - alternative remedies, etc?

[Minitoots]

My Dad (aged 90) has osteo arthritis in his fingers which is getting worse. I've done a lot of research into diet, devices to help, alternative therapies etc but wondered if anyone has any first hand experience of which of these work? He also has severe arthritis in both knees. He gets steroid injections in the knees from time to time, and has tried acupuncture in the past which helped a bit...He is unable to have operations due to his health/age and I know it can't be cured but any feedback welcomed, thanks.

[EDmummy]

My dad in Australia swears by New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel Extract. You can get it and more info on the web. There is also an Australian extract of wild celery originally used by Aboriginal Australians but I'm not sure if you can get it here.

[Minitoots]

thanks - I've heard of green lipped mussel extract- will suggest it to him.

[Saffron]

My grandmother always wore a copper ring for her arthritis. There is some data to suggest that the interaction of copper with the skin could have an effect on arthritis, so if your dad is wearing copper it needs to be fitting quite close to the skin like a ring or very snug bracelet. xx

[Minitoots]

I've found Krill oil is meant to be good, and also foods such as oily fish, chilli, turmeric and ginger, red grapes etc which all act as natural anti inflammatories but would still like any other suggestions, as Dad's arthritis is getting much worse, so any new suggestions would be great.

Has anyone used a TENS machine for pain relief for arthritis, for example??

[Mustard]

You can get chilli cream to apply topically on painful areas. It's available on prescription.

Comes in two different strengths, one is Axsain 0.075% w/w Cream (capsaicin) made by by Cephalon

I have a friend who swears by magnet therapy as well.

[Minitoots]

thanks for that info, Mustard - very helpful.

[cathy p j]

I really feel for your Dad. I suffer from severe OA and it is very difficult to find anything that really helps with the pain. I am quite a lot younger than your Dad and I've had surgery to replace both knee joints in the last 3 years, but I still have bad OA in my fingers and surgery isn't an option for this.

In my experience it is very important to try and keep the affected joints moving. This is hard when it is so painful, but I have found that the less you exercise the affected joints, the more painful it is when you do move them. I find exercises that strengthen the leg muscles, which can be done sitting down, helps to reduce pain in the knees. A physiotherapist would be able to advise on this.

In terms of medication, the best relief I got was from taking anti-inflammatory medication (such as Naproxen) in addition to Co-Dydramol (paracetamol and dihydrocodeine). I did try Capsaicin cream, as recommended by Mustard, but I couldn't tolerate it and suffered the most terrible burning sensation when I applied it, so I abandoned it. I haven't tried TENS for OA pain, but I did have a good result using a TENS machine for severe back pain (I also have scoliosis as well as OA) so it might be worth a go. Heat also helps my pain, so maybe a heat pad would be something that your Dad could try?

I do hope that your Dad is able to find something that gives him pain relief - OA is a horrid condition.

Cathy

[Mustard]

Cathy pj,

which Capsaicin cream did you try, there are different levels of heat? The one I mentioned is the strongest.

[cathy p j]

Hi Mustard

It was Zacin cream, which is 0.025% Capsaicin (manufactured by Cephalon). I asked my GP to prescribe it for me as research carried out by Arthritis Research UK had demonstrated that it was effective for pain relief in OA, and I was keen to reduce, or stop, the oral painkillers that I was taking. I applied it exactly as directed (applied 4 times daily, small amount of cream rubbed in so no longer visible, at least 4 hours between applications, no bandages, and only applied more than one hour before / after a shower) but after applying the cream I experienced burning pain which got worse and worse so that it kept me awake all night, I couldn't wear trousers or anything that covered my knees, and I suffered the most severe pain when having a shower some 8 or 9 hours after applying capsaicin. I persevered for about a week, hoping that things would improve, but the burning sensation was actually worse than the pain of the OA, so after a week I abandoned it.

Cathy

[IlonaM]

High strength Turmeric is a very good natural anti-inflammatory.

There is a very good book 'Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief

by Neal Barnard MD which looks at diet as an aid to reducing inflammation in the body for a variety of conditions. The book is still available on Amazon for as little as ?1.51 for a used paperback. I have a copy and have given/recommended it to quite a few people over the years. You can also get an idea online ie www.webmd.com/pain-management/ss/slideshow-foods-fight-pain.

A Pain Management Clinic such as the excellent one at Kings might have some advice also if he gets his GP to refer him.

[Dun]

Cathy?s point about keeping moving is so true. I have OA in knees & fingers. The more you can build up the muscles around your knees the less the pain is.

In the next 2 years a new medicine specifically for OA pain should be available. It?s a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets OA pain and 2 pharmaceutical companies are almost finished their trials. Monoclonal antibodies are the new success story in targeted medicines and the OA pain ones are really showing positive results. Fingers crossed NICE will approve them quickly!