Arthritic knee causing pain in shin…

MayBee70 you have my sympathy. Have had lots of joint problems over the years but recently my knees, hip and feet got much worse. Contacted the surgery and got a call back from a physio who took a detailed history and emailed me a set of exercises. Did them religiously and have seen a great improvement. Also recommended a pedal exerciser to give my knees non weight bearing exercise. Hope you get help soon and have a similar outcome.

maybee the MSK route would be a good one. Referral here is via a GP. After a longish wait for an appointment I was immediately referred to a surgeon who was clear a new knee was overdue Accomplished 10 weeks ago I am now pain free, quality of life is so much better. Worth considering for sure.

PM Sent MayBee70.

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I’ve reduced my walking for a couple of days. Less walking and there’s no pain at all when I’m resting. Going to keep a leg diary for a while before I speak to my doctor. A few months ago I was worried that it was more of a circulation problem but I don’t think it is. I’ve got my bag of peas in the freezer duly labelled ‘do not eat: leg use only’!

MayBee - walking in the countryside was one of my top pleasures as well, and I have had to curtail it greatly (I'd add that I suspect steep hills / cliffs are the worst)

I will share what I do to stay positive, as it may help:
I do water-based exercises about 3 x a week, which do me a lot of good and help to keep the pain under control. I also do pilates at home, using a board & yoga-mat on the spare bed to save me getting on the floor! This all keeps my muscles working.
I go out for a walk of about 1-2 miles when I am not in too much pain. I use nordic poles, and I mostly go out in company. This does me no good physically, but helps mentally.
Sometimes we go to a country park and I hire a scooter so DH can walk alongside me and we can go further.
I look at a beautiful picture DH took of me & the children on top of a mountain, and I think 'I am so lucky to have done that in my life'.

I have known a few people who have 'refused to give up' and kept walking through a lot of pain - their decision of course, but it has, I think, hastened their physical (and therefore eventually mental) decline. So I think finding a regime that suits you is important.
I hold you in my thoughts.

I think you’ll find that waiting times are not as bad as you fear. If there are long waits in your area then isn’t it better to get on a waiting list soon? If you have osteoarthritis in your knee nothing will make it better, it will only get worse and the sooner you get your knee replacement the better your recovery will be. I’ve recently had a hip replacement. I waited only 22 weeks from seeing the consultant to having the surgery. Funds have been made available to bring down the waiting lists and private hospitals are taking NHS patients for elective surgery. In the last few months I was on four daily doses of paracetamol and codeine for the pain at night. Best wishes.

Nannarose, yes, I think non weight-bearing exercise is good to keep the muscles toned - but lots of walking on damaged joints won't help. My brother sticks to an anti-inflammatory diet, and swears by it, so that could be worth a try while waiting for an operation.

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Im another fan of TENS machines. You can now get the wifi ones that you can walk around wearing so long as you are in one place. Ive had an arthritic knee for years. I also found that cortisone injections helped which I had at the local surgery. However have obviously not had any for two years and with doctors still "hiding" I dont know when they will resume.

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Calistemon

Could it be sciatica? I have the same.

If your knees are painful it can make you walk differently and could result in sciatica which can cause pain down the shin. You may need an X-ray to find out what is going on.
I agree, go to see your GP (if you can get an appointment), they may recommend you for physiotherapy and further investigations, although I don't know how long the wait is where you are.
I'm still waiting ......

I think this is a possibility. Unless I wear supportive footwear it brings on my sciatica.

When I had knee pain and the doctor was talking wear &tear and arthritis I had a brilliant physio who said he thought it wasn't my knee but the muscle at the top of my calf which I had torn a bit. (It had come on quite suddenly) He gave me exercises to do and they worked.

I doubt any of us can get away with OA. A definite sign of aging. I will manage with anti-inflammatories for my very bad right knee. I’ve heard awful stories about knee replacements. They are not as successful as hip replacements.

Old original post, I wonder what happened MayBee70?