Arthritic hip

Good for you jingle, I'm going to start taking some too - think I'll start with a couple each morning and maybe lunchtime too, and see how it goes.
Thanks for the suggestion, bama2U, but stopping en route would involve the use of the brake and DH does not hold with that. He has no idea what service stations are for. But I will most certainly try raising my car seat and will also be on the lookout now for a gel cushion.

Codeine is undoubtedly addictive - it is derived from morphine - I have taken it in the past and it made me feel quite "trippy" even in small doses - and it brought my gastrointestinal system to a total halt!

I had some codeine for toothache a while back and, when I no longer needed to take it I felt it 'calling' to me, and realised it was addictive. When my knees went and I [eventually] saw a consultant I mentioned that I used to go jogging. He laughed and said 'you won't be jogging again' so I always wondered what would happen if I did need to run somewhere. Well, tonight I went to a shop to buy some dog food and then crossed the road to buy some paint. Opened my bag to find no purse. Whole life flashed before me thinking I'd left my purse on the counter and RAN across the road to the first shop. Quite chuffed to find that I can move fast when I need to but, boy, do the knees ache tonight! Think it's sometimes better to use codeine and paracetamol separately because you can adjust the dose to take the minimum amount. Plus a laxative!

Good luck with the acupuncture this morning Annobel. Let us know how it goes

Yes, good luck with the acupuncture, annobel.

I think some people are more inclined (for whatever reason – genes, perhaps) to suffer addictions than others. Isn't there something called an addictive personality?

I've been taking codeine daily for years but I'm not addicted to it. My prescription was changed from co-proxamol about 18 years ago because too many people were taking overdoses of that. It was withdrawn so even though I'd been using it for 20 years without ill effects, I couldn't have it any more. So now it's co-codamol (industrial strength), which contains paracetamol and codeine. If the arthritic pain I take it for stopped I wouldn't need it. I know I'm not addicted because on less painful days I don't take as many pills. If I were addicted, I'd feel a craving, presumably. I only feel the pain and try to suppress it so that I can live a normal life.

bama2U, please tell me more about gel cushions.

I have Naproxyn, which works very well for me - I take it when the knee is having a bad day. The effect seems to last quite a while, too.

Anyone tried the cider vinegar remedy for arthritis? I bought a bottle yesterday and went on line to find out about dosages. There's conflicting advice, so if anyone can offer clarification, I'd love to hear it. Doesn't taste too disgusting with some Scottish heather honey, though that is best eaten with good oatcakes.

Enjoy the acupuncture Annobel. I found that I felt euphoric after acupuncture sessions - doesn't hurt and makes you feel great.

Ariadne, Naproxen is a NSAID like diclofenac and no doubt your doctor has told you the risks involved in long use. However, in clinical trials it was found to increase the risk of heart attacks less than all other similar drugs.
Using it just occasionally is fine, but it is worth finding out which other drugs you should not take at the same time - e.g. aspirin - to avoid thinning the blood too much and causing internal bleeding.
Acupuncture is fascinating, isn't it? We know it works, but nobody really knows how!

They found an ancient man entombed in a glacier that had tattoos on his body that were thought to be acupuncture points presumably put on his body so that when he arrived at wherever he was travelling to [I think it was in the Alps] they would know where to 'stick the needles'. Painkillers seem to go in and out of medical fashion, diclofenac being 'out' at the moment but naproxen and celebrex being back in favour. I sound like whatssname that used to do the top twenty..pop pickers...

Alan 'Fluff' Freeman?

I did try acupuncture for my Osteo-Arthritis , but it didn't work for me sadly... I do take Naproxen daily and have for some years I have tried a couple of times to get off it but its just so affective I haven't managed it. I might have another try in the Springtime.. I would prefer to manage without it but if my pain is too bad then I just have to run the risks and hope that the monitoring for side-effects is enough. When my hip pain was so bad it stopped me sleeping (before my THR) my GP prescribed a very low dose of Amytripiline it was I think only 10mg and I didn't take it every night but it worked for me when I'd had a run of sleepless nights, once my surgery was done I didn't need it again..

My DS2 is a chiropractor and says that he is able to alleviate arthritis pain for a lot of his patients with arthritic hips etc. He says there is not a lot of correspondence between what you see on an X ray and what someone is experiencing in terms of pain and that chiro can reduce pain and maintain mobility.
They do vary though. Don't go to one of the ones that is trying to sign you up for life. DS trained in University of Glamorgan which was a very thorough 4 year course. (he has been known to point out that physios only do one year on muscles and joints...)

I had my first session of acupuncture this afternoon. Too early to tell if it's going to work, but the therapist is one I've been to before and it worked then. going again next week. Still hopeful!

I hope you you enjoy some relief Annobel when the benefits kick in.. some people it works for and some it doesn't.
Jess I did consult a chiropractor some years ago when my spine first started to give me problems the excercises and therapy helped for a while but eventually the spine and back were so bad I had to have surgery on both.. happily the hip is now painfree and the spine is at a tolerable level most of the time. Now I just try to excercise with swimming , walking and cycling to ward of the dreaded surgery on my second hip.

I had to break off my acupuncture after the 5th session as my blood pressure went through the roof and I had a terrible tinnitus which kept me awake half the night. I put it down to being over 70 as I have had at least 100 acupuncture treatments in the past 20 years; for migraine, and a sllipped disc. This time was my first bad reaction. After I had calmed down I noticed that my knee was so much better and I would go again.

As to codeine not everyone becomes addicted. I have taken so many for migraine in my life and never wanted one when I was not in pain.
By the way I got rid of my migraine. I put myself on an elimination diet and found the triggers and have avoided them since and changed my life.
All by myself!

Sorry about delay in posting - my gel cushion is tagged ObusForme it is ergonomically shaped polyurethane foam to help with posture and has a thin criss cross central gel layer. I find the shape and gel layer help ease the problems of sitting and the gel layer certainly eases the vibrations when travelling.
I have had my cushion several years and cannot remember the company I bought it from but can remember that I had to wait several weeks for imports from US manufacturer. Not wanting to admit to memory lapse I "googled" before posting and can see the cushion is widely available in US but cannot find a UK supplier.
I remember seeing similar gel products available for wheelchair users but the one I bought is quite light and portable. Maybe with the recent advances in "memory" foam there might be alternative products on the market but I think the gel layer is probably crucial to the comfort.
Has anyone found benefit from gentle massage - I have just invested in a Homedics massage chair pad - special offer at John Lewis. I have tried one in store and been impressed but having felt the weight think I might be severely in need of massage by the time I have it strapped to chair. Am loath to keep taking medication and keep searching for alternatives.

I have lost the plot slightly in this thread mishap - is your hip osteoarthritis or not? Or don't know?
I used to have a hip pain that was quite nasty when walking but it was a tight muscle/ligament thing it turned out.

I have used a TENS machine in the past for arthritis pain.

Greatnan, I've been considering a TENS machine. Any advice on what to buy and where to buy it? There seems to be a wide variation in size and price.

I am not in England now, Annobel, but as far as I remember I got it from Boots - try googling it.

Hi Mishap,
This might be a bit of a late post, but have you tried Glucosamine and chondroitin? I have had twinges on and off in my left hip over the past 10 years. I read a book on arthritis which suggested the above for osteo-arthritis and I have been taking them (tablets combining to two are available in most good chemists, e.g. Boots) fairly regularly for a number of years. After a couple of weeks, the pain disappears and my hips are fine. If the twinges start again, I start taking the G & C again. The pain disappears. The theory is that it helps rebuild the connective tissue in the joints.
For me it really works (and I'm just about to do a trekathon--a 26 mile walk in a day), which i wouldn't have been able to contemplate if I had not found my hip pain went with the glucosamine etc. It is not a painkiller--it must help repair the cause I think.
Hope it might help you.

I would suggest Pilates for most hip problems. The instructor will be able to help you decide what you can and can't do to start and help you build up your strength. Lots of different exercises to try but definitely best to go to a proper class rather than try to do it from a book or video to get the proper feel for it

This might be a bit late but I would suggest swimming and cycling too. It's easy on knees and hips.

I would recommend water based aerobic as well as it's muscle-strengthening, increases mobility but is, again, easy on hips. And it's fun too

I can only really advise what has finally worked for me after 7+ years struggling to get any real exercise. Thing had gotten worse and worse, be it shin splint, knee problems, the darn hips and even my heart/breathing.

I had abandoned cycling(knees) for walking then later abandoned walking up hills, but the pains just got worse.
I did get back to some cycling by spinning the pedals faster than normal. But only when I was, by chance, forced to walk too fast for a train did I guess the walking was far far worse than cycling.(it resulted in days of really intense hip pain)

Realisation dawned but it took a full 12 months for my severe shin pain to go, and about the same for the hips to near fully recover.
The trick it seems, is, no matter what exercise you do, keep everything as near to zero impact as you can. Thus I have easy gears on my bike and done right I can even keep my knees working.