Well, time has proved Jonny the Smokes indestructible body is quite destructible.

I may be developing arthritis in my knees, particularly my left one. Its very painful off and on, sometimes making it difficult to walk for a while and disrupting my sleep.

It flared up again last week when we had stormy weather in Oregon. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, just an observation.

I had 7-9 level pain on a 10 scale for several days, couldn't sleep, etc. Last Sunday I decided to look for a topical treatment I could apply locally, just to the affected area. Advil and Aleeve (sp?) did nothing to help.

So I picked up a store brand of Capsaicin 0.15%. It contains what makes pepper hot as the active ingredient. Since using it, the pain has dropped to a 0 - 2. Walking is easy, sleep is much better.

It does get hot if you get in a bath or shower on the applied area, and it began to heat up after being in bed under covers for several hours. So I use it maybe twice a day and wash it off before bed. That seems to be the ticket.

Just wondering if anyone else has any experience with this as I will probably have to deal with it now for good. Thanks.

My doctor has said it will help the arthritis in the ankle I broke. Used it some last winter when it was below zero. May have to try it on my hip soon. Discovered in Europe two weeks ago that it is not as young as I would like it to be.

My doctor recommended the Capsaicin for the arthritis in my ankle. It works when the pain is from the arthritis, but I have lost the cartilage in the ankle due to a major injury 40 years ago. There ain't anything for that bone on bone pain.

Could it be gout?

I've been taking glucosamine & MSM capsules for a couple months. They do not eliminate knee joint pain completely, but they lower the pain threshold to a tolerable level.

I take ibuprofen in the morning when I have to go to work, as well.

This regimen helps me sleep and get through a work day with little notice of the old achy, hurty feeling I had in the past.

I had severe bone on bone osteoarthritis in both knees, arthritis and stenosis in my lumbar spine and capsaicin did nothing to relieve it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2016 05:07PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

I find it helps a lot. It's not a cure, but it does help with the pain. I've got one bum knee that I wore out from speed walking for about a year. Kinda wish I hadn't done that.

I used Curamin, an herbal pain reliever for arthritis and shingles. It worked well for me. The capsacin depletes substance"P", which in turn slows the pain messages to the brain.

I use a vegetarian glucosamine. Regular glucosamine often contains ground shells that cause gout in me.

Pain relief is very personal...

what about that guy who ate a ghost pepper and burned a one inch hole in his esophagus ?

Sure. Those creams and ointments are my go-to when anything aches. Lidocaine is another ingredient in some pain relief creams.

I would also recommend an elastic knee brace. Make sure you get the brace specifically made for knees. You can use a regular rolled elastic bandage in a pinch, but the brace is more helpful.

Make sure that you are not regularly carrying heavy objects up and down stairs. That sends my knees out of whack faster than anything. Also, if you can do exercises to strengthen your thighs, that helps. If you have a gym membership, time spent on an elliptical trainer is great.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 08:59AM by summer.

About three years ago, I was having muscle pain in my calves, so before a 50 mile bike ride I rubbed some Capsaicin on and went out for my bike ride. At about half way, when I really started to sweat up, the capsaicin went nuclear and it felt like my calves were literally burning off. It subsided after about half an hour, but I am very, very careful when I use it now. Also, use gloves putting it on - you don't want the residue on your fingers when touching, uh, delicate places.

I had an experience similar to fossilman...when I applied the capsaicin cream to my knee it simply felt like my entire knee area was on fire. To be fair, it took my mind off the knee (joint) pain, only to make me then concentrate on trying to extinguish the fire on my knee (skin) caused by the cream. Not fun. Good luck finding relief from your pain, Jonny the Smoke. Best. -ed

Won't help for acute pain, but if you want to reduce joint inflammation over the long haul you might look into this high-absorption curcumin product (curcumin has proven anti-inflammatory effects but is otherwise poorly absorbed into the blood stream):

http://www.ultrabotanica.com/

This is something I am using for my joint pain and seems to help, I have no monetary interest in it. It is not an MLM product, you can order direct from manufacturer or via Amazon.

Cool. I'll have to add it to my list. I've been having some arthritis like flareups from lots of years of knitting and crocheting for business. I already use glucosamine, MSM, and I add turmeric to my daily smoothies. Capsaicin looks like it's going to be added to my regimen. Thanks for the recommend.

I'm 67 with a background of more than 35 years of long distance running. These days arthritis is hounding all my joints, especially my knees. Ibuprofen and Naproxen both work okay to temporarily relieve pain, but NSAIDs all increase the risk of stroke, so I've limited their use. In fact I never take more than the recommended dose as a result, and then only for a short time.

About six months ago I discovered Turmeric, which delivers curcumin, an anti-inflammatory compound and anti-oxidant. It relieves the achy pain considerably on a daily basis.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-turmeric#1

Currently I'm taking 1000 mg a day of the Youtheory brand, which I bought at Costco.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=youtheory+turmeric

I also take the Wellesse Joint> liquid gluc/cond/msm (also at Costco), but I've been taking it much longer than the turmeric, and I didn't get much pain relief until I started taking the turmeric.

You can also eat lots and lots of Indian and Thai food. It has curry powder in it which has lots of turmeric.

Be very careful with NSAIDs. I've known two people who died from kidney failure because of NSAIDs use.

People don't read the labels, or take them seriously.

You sound like you're pretty careful and not just popping a pill with every ache or pain. A lot of people aren't as careful.

Ginger capsules 550mg, 2x per day.

Within a few days you will see improvement. Keep it up for a month and you'll practically be pain free. But don't stop taking it or the pain will come back.

Natural anti-inflammatory.

Google: arthritis, cherries

Although the summer kind of sweet cherries may have some mild positive effects on arthritic pain, the cherries that really help arthritis are Montmorency (the tart kind of cherry...sometimes they are called "pie cherries").

[Maraschino cherries, the sweet, highly-preserved, highly-chemicalized, and highly-artificially-colored cherries, usually sold in glass jars, will NOT help A-T A-L-L!!!]

Trader Joe's, in their nuts and dried fruits section, has dried and pitted Montmorency tart cherries in 8-ounce plastic bags, which---when I last bought them (about three years ago), were being sold at an acceptable price. (Because of the drought conditions in the West, there may have been some price increase since.)

You could also Google Montmorency cherries and find out where you can buy them on the Net.

The people I have known who have arthritis (of most any kind) quickly find that Montmorency cherries can act swiftly (within a few hours), and offer a great amount of pain relief...and they taste good, too.

EDITED TO ADD: I agree with the recommendation above re: ginger and, in addition, if you Google: bromelain, arthritis, you will also find out a great deal of information about how well bromelain (in capsule form, particularly) works to reduce arthritis pain and increase mobility. [Bromelain is a natural enzyme present in fresh, "uncooked" pineapple...but you probably couldn't eat enough fresh pineapple to make a difference (your mouth would get sore first). In capsule form, bromelain works wonderfully well...and it can be found at Whole Foods, your local health food store, very probably Sprouts, and at GNC stores...plus you can purchase it online.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2016 10:28PM by Tevai.

Hey jonny. I'm not a Doctor, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express. Check out gout. I know it's supposed to hit your toes or feet. Me, I had it in my knee (yes-I drink too much beer). Local GP didn't figure it out. Got progressively worse- to the point that it took me 2 minutes to limp upstairs-in intense pain. Going downstairs was worse. Went to a rheumatoid arthritis specialist & she diagnosed it in minutes. Cortisone shot, Prednisdone steroid pills for 9 days & Allopurinol daily- good to go. Might be the same thing. Good luck.

That's why I mentioned it... My gout did the standard big toe for it's inaugural appearance. But then it did a two week stand in my right knee. That's when my PCP referred me to the rheumatoid guy. These doctors are much loved because they know how to get results and seldom mal-practice! Mine has a big belt with syringes full of cortisone in the bullet loops... And he ain't scared to shot.

Sorry, ED. Didn't catch your post. But I think we're on the same page. I'm a pretty tough guy, I could shove a 16 penny nail through my forearm & not blink or shed a tear. Knee gout had me screaming in pain. If we could figure out a way to give terrorists knee gout instead of waterboarding, we'd get a lot more cooperation a lot sooner.

did you go jogging or twist and carry something heavy. Sounds like you may have done something recently. I've been having ankle pain on and off. but that's cuz I walk and carry too much for my job.

All these suggestions may interfer with any blood thinners.

Be careful.

Heresy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All these suggestions may interfer with any blood
> thinners.
>
> Be careful.

This is true.

Thank you, Heresy!!!

My left hip has been a piece of crap for over a year now.

A couple months after it started acting up the missionaries came over and gave me a blessing. We all know how well that worked.

Ibuprofen before bedtime plus a pillow between my knees while I sleep on my side gets me through the night. I will try some of the above suggestions from my fellow heathens, however. If something does work I won't tell my wife, who is very compassionate about accepting my pain as a fact of life--i.e., it gets me off the hook for various household chores.

Jonny, glad the cap is working for you!

MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS

Just be very careful to not touch your eyes, EVER. I once closed the cap of the creme, a little bit squeezed into my eyes and it was 1 second of "Oh shit" then wild animal screams of agony. My ex-husband thought someone had broken in and was attacking me.

You can also get patches if you don't want to rub the cream or liquid in. I like those touch-pad and roller-ball capsaicin containers so you don't actually have to touch the product.

I don't know what state you're in, but there is a "green" salve I purchased that I use on my hands when they hurt from throwing clay. It works fantastic and smells really good.

Thanks for the replies. It seems top be working well for me so I'll keep using it for now. I have to get a wellness Physical for my health insurance soon, so I'll ask the Dr. about it......and gout too.

Your doctor should send you to a lab to get blood pulled for diagnostic purposes before the wellness physical; if the doc hasn't said anything about it, you should call a couple of weeks before the wellness physical to ask about it, and you should mention you'd like your uric acid level checked as part of the lab work.

I live in a state that allows medical weed. Due to a low back injury that has gone arthritic on me, I can get horrible pain virtually anywhere from my waist to my ankles.

I am already on HydroCortisone, but of course, you have to be very careful with that stuff.

I applied for a weed card and was approved. I only use it in topical form (I hate smoking anything.) Until I first went to a dispensary, I didn't even know it came in topical form. After checking out several local dispensaries, I finally found a brand that helps me a lot. It looks disgusting, like something you would rinse out of a baby's diaper, and smells VERY "weedy" until it has had time to sink in.

But it is amazing stuff. Rub it in thoroughly, give it about 20 minutes, and you are likely to notice a real decrease in pain. And this isn't due to getting high, BTW. You don't get high from topical weed. It is made mainly from the chemical called CBD, which is good for pain and anxiety. (TCH is the stuff that makes you high.)

Sometimes, the cream itself is enough to make the pain go away. Other times, I have to combine it with the opiates. But there has been a DEFINITE drop in opiate use since I began using the topical weed.

If you live in a state where medical weed is legal, and you think you might qualify, give it a try. I'm no longer a Mormon, so their opinions don't matter to me. Furthermore, there is a world of difference between rubbing topical cream on, for pain relief, as opposed to lighting up a joint to get buzzed.

I'm nearly 70; opiates can be dangerous, even lethal for someone my age. But weed is not - at least, not the topical stuff. I've never had a topical painkiller work so well before, ever. It is worth looking into, if you have legal access.

I have some and it really helps with my hands and smells a million times better than Bengay.

Thanks, that is really helpful information.

IMO, this is going to be the pain med of the very near future. Opioids are fine in some cases, but eventually you will have to pay the piper. They aren't a good thing for older people because they have profound effect on balance and memory.

The topicals with GBD are helping a lot of people. GBD is not illegal. Google it online and learn.

Specifically for arthritis but requires a prescription, no alcohol use.

It can be bought over the counter in Germany.

I'll second this one, too. It is only good for "bony" areas. I use it on my hands and wrists during arthritic flare-ups. Great stuff.

If it is legal in your state try CBD, cannabidiol. This is the substance in weed that relieves pain. There is no psychotropic effect, it can be applied topically...

As to Voltaran Gel, this is diclofenec. It is an NSAID, and really hard on your stomach. be careful

If it's topical, can it get into the stomach?

A topical gel has an extremely low probability of affecting the stomach.

Topical diclofenac (Voltaren gel) works for osteoarthritis, and patients who use it never or almost never report gastrointestinal consequences:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10067-015-3021-z

"Topical diclofenac appears to be effective in both pain relief (standard mean differences (SMD) = 0.40; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.62; P = 0.0003) and function improvement (SMD = 0.23; 95 % CI 0.03 to 0.43; P = 0.03) when compared with the control group. The sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis showed that the result of pain intensity was stable and reliable, while the result of physical function improvement was vague. With respect to safety, topical diclofenac demonstrated a higher incidence of adverse events such as dry skin, rash, dermatitis, neck pain, and withdrawal.Topical diclofenac appears to be effective in both pain relief (standard mean differences (SMD) = 0.40; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.62; P = 0.0003) and function improvement (SMD = 0.23; 95 % CI 0.03 to 0.43; P = 0.03) when compared with the control group. The sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis showed that the result of pain intensity was stable and reliable, while the result of physical function improvement was vague. With respect to safety, topical diclofenac demonstrated a higher incidence of adverse events such as dry skin, rash, dermatitis, neck pain, and withdrawal."

If you have not yet discovered the gold mine of scientific medical information that is Google Scholar, I recommend it. In a few seconds I found information like this:

1. http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7446/991?variant=full-text

"Although topically applied capsaicin has moderate to poor efficacy in the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain, it may be useful as an adjunct or sole therapy for a small number of patients who are unresponsive to, or intolerant of, other treatments."

(It often works for some types of pain, but usually not strongly.)

2. http://www.ispor.org/research_pdfs/51/pdffiles/PSY4.pdf

" Localised treatment with the capsaicin 8% patch has similar efficacy, but offers the potential for tolerability benefits compared to NICE-recommended oral agents in patients with PDPN."

You will need your critical thinking and reading comprehension skills working in full force when you skim resources like these, however. That second link is to a study about diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and a treatment that is modestly effective for one type of pain may not help at all with another type.

My favorite is both ginger & peppermint tea.

It is a blood thinner..........and when I was having a procedure I had to stop drinking it for 10 days.....
I was achy.

I rarely get headaches.

But once I got a cluster headache on one side of my head and mixed some cayenne pepper in lotion and rubbed it on the inside of my nostril on the side of my head that the headache was. Within 20 seconds the headache was completely gone. It was uncanny.

I take the natural anti-inflammatory ginger in capsule form every morning and night. I take it every day and I have NO joint pain. It takes a couple days to take effect and then if you keep taking it within a month all, and I mean ALL old age joint pain will be gone.