Diagnosed with OA Thursday. How long does the pain last when will I be able to return to work?

Hi

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I too have osteoarthritis, it started in my lumbar spine, then my cervical now both knees, wrists and shoulders. Unfortunately it's a degenerative disease but there are some good pain options out there with pain relief medication and injections. Have a look at arthritis uk

My sympathies.  I too have OA, in several locations.  How long you are in pain for will depend several factors.  As Wall has commented, OA is a degenerative disease, thus it doesn't just 'go away' - it's there for life and may or may not get worse.  It varies on where its located, your own circumstances and how far progressed it is.  If you are suffering from any kind of flare up, its possible this will die down and you may be relatively pain free for a while.  You need to find out the full facts from your doctor and ask about prognosis for the pain and whether the present inflammation is temporary or permanent.  Pain meds are usually initially anti inflammatory in nature to begin with.  Whether you need stronger meds or opiates will depend very much on how the disease progresses with you personally.  Gentle exercise is essential to keep the joint mobile and lessen pain but if you have it in a lower limb, go for non impact exercise - ie swimming or specifically targeted gym work rather than running or similar.  OA is a broad range of conditions all related to wear and tear on joints and loss of cartilage but it varies hugely from person to person. 

How old you are you because if your relatively young it may subside and not flare up for a long time.

If your older it becomes part of your fixtures and fittings and you learn various things to do that are best for you. Diet is a big one, cut out processed foods when you can, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Hope you soon feel better.

Hi Tiomba!

As others have said, OA isn't like the flu that you get, feel miserable, and then fully recover from and go on your way. It usually starts off slowly with some stiffness and some pain and then retreats for awhile and you pretty much forget about it.

Arthritis is an inflammatory illness. When inflammation occurs there is stiffness, swelling, pain in the joints and often a tiredness that overcomes you because a lot is going on in the body.

Certain foods cause flare-ups. Rain and snow do, too. Stress is a big one for me, and it brought on a huge flare-up five years ago when we were taking care of my mother, age 99 then 100 in our home.

Generally, OA seems to set in where there has been a lot of wear and tear and/ or if there have been injuries or overuse. I have skated since I was a child. My COUNTLESS wipeouts over the years truly did a number on my knees (now REPLACED with two TKRs last year!) My fingers are starting up now, too, probably due to my knitting and crochet hobbies for many years. Each new place that hurts brings me to memories of trees climbed, vines swung, bicycle crashes and all the years of bending over children's desks as a teacher (Yes, my BACK has arthritis now, too!)

I'd suggest checking out lists of foods to watch, taking an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen, water therapy in the pool, lake, or enjoying waves in the ocean (my favorite!), and just TRYING to RELAX!

A lot of us have had OA long before any diagnosis was made. It kind of creeped up on me, to tell you the truth. I just thought I was getting older!

Stick with us here. You will find many different people with similar stories and those whose stories vary greatly from mine. Either way, this is a solid community of people from all over the world who are just trying to have less pain and a better life.

Welcome!??

Unfortunately as others have said OA is a long term condition, unless you want to be off work forever you will need to learn how to live with the pain and manage your job. 

In which joints do you have OA?

In my case its in my fingers. Sometimes its very painful and others days I hardly notice it. It may sound strange but keeping it moving helps. 

As for a solution to the pain, the only permanent one I have found is joint replacement, had two so far. 

I have tried most things at the moment I am using Volatarol gel which I get on prescription and an article I read recently on Trionz magnetic braclet which I bought in Boots as i have another finger going. 

I also have OA in my knees and started in my fingers now too.  I have tried lots of therapies but find that diet (eat well and clean!), gentle exercise (swimming, yoga) and sleep work best to avoid flareups.  I also use ultrasound at home when i do get a flareup so I don't have to take pain medication (I try to avoid that as much as possible).  Sonic relief is a good one and i like their gel as it is non-invasive too.

Hi,

As others have said OA is degenerative and "doesn't go away" Everyone is different. I have OA in hips {which I have had replaced now}, one ankle, neck and lower back.Mine started very gradually and I had time to get used to it.

Get in touch with Arthritis Care ...I'm a volunteer for them.....they have lots of booklets that they will send you out if you ask...They have a free helpline.

If its OA once you get a diagnosis from the consultant at the hospital then the GP takes over because all they do {unless you need surgery} is pain killers and anti inflammatories. You will learn how to manage it and cope with it and it wont always be as sore as it is now.

I have learned to cope with mine and how to do things different ways and also pain killers. About a month ago myknees started to get very sore and gradually got worse and at the moment I'm in agony. I had an MRI scan on both knees and am going on Friday to get the results. I think most people are like me.....once they get the results they can cope with it better. I dont know if my knees are arthritis or not???? but after Fri when I find out then I'll find out how to cope with it and be a happier person. The best thing is to get in touchwith arthritis care, they should have a branch in your area........mine is 30mins away but we only meet once a month but in between times we have trips out, we usually have 2 holidays in the year 1 in the Spring and one closer to the end of the year {just for 3 or 4 days} We also have walks once a month {walking means with crutches, in a wheelchair on a scooter with a stick or with no aids at all} but it gets you out in the fresh air,and mixing with people that have the same thing so understand how you feel. We have seated zumba once a week and seated yoga every second week.  Its great to be with people that understand what you are going through

If you want to get in touch to ask questions feel free just send me a pm

Love

Eileen   UK