Your questions on joint care and joint pain have been answered by the consultants from Spire Healthcare

My partner gets painful hips in bed every night. This happens every night and really disturbs his sleep. He doesn’t want to take painkillers if possible. Any suggestions please?

I am an active 62 year old and a keen hill walker. I suffer from osteo arthritis in my wrists, which have become significantly more painful in the last year. I take 400mg ibuprofen 3 times per day, but it has minimal effect, I also take turmeric in the form of curcumin and boswellia capsules.
Is there anything else that can be recommended? I dread the thought of the problem spreading to other joints.

I had a hip replacement 3 years ago but unfortunately it has made virtually no difference, the pain is still there. I also have arthritis in my other hip and I was asked if I wanted that replaced too as it was quite bad. I have refused because of the first one not working and now take 2 high dose Cocodomol and 2 Tramadol 3 or 4 times a day depending how bad it is. I also have pain in both groins which sometimes makes it impossible to move. I also have arthritis in both knees which is getting worse. Walking is so painful I just don't do it any more and now I've put on about 3 stone because of this. Is there anything that I can do?

I had to stop cross stitching as my left wrist became very painful and a pea sized lump appeared on my wrist at the base of my thumb. It has all resolved with rest. I am tempted to start stitching again. Can you suggest any adaptations I should make to prevent recurrences

I suffer severely with my neck it feels like sometimes it cant support my head and im left crying in agony i had zoom physio which has done nothing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

One of my fingers and a thumb keep coming out of joint for no apparent reason. I do suffer from arthritis. Any ideas please.

I suffer with arthritis in my hands neck and shoulders. I take regular painkillers , but would love to know if certain foods can trigger the pain and if certain foods can help.

I have arthritis in my neck and knees and facet spondylosis in my back. I can't take anti-inflammatories because of my asthma and past stomach ulcers, are there any alternatives that I could use safely or supplements?

I have painful joint pains at the base of my thumbs, in face, yesterday I had to ask a neighbour to open two plastic bottles for me! The sort that need to be squeezed and twisted before opening. You don't realise how difficult things can be until they affect you!

I have very painful big toe joints - diagnosed after xray as Hallux Rigidus and arthritis in this and other joints. I have been advised to wear lace up shoes and need ones with a very deep footbed. It isn't a bunion - the bone is enlarged on the top of the joint, not to the side. And it makes finding suitable footwear very tricky. My questions: 1. Are operations to shave the bone successful, or would it just grow back? 2. I love walking. Am I just making it worse, or is it a good idea to encourage flexibility? Thank you.

I’ve been told I need TKR for severe arthritis in one knee, which had to be grafted, pinned and plated following an accident 25 years ago. I do have some pain from the joint, but it is mostly manageable and I only take painkillers during particularly severe attacks. I have been putting off surgery because pain isn’t a driver for surgery, although my range of movement has been steadily declining. Am I doing more harm than good by waiting or if I can manage longer should I? I’m in my mid 50s and otherwise fit and well.

Is it normal for my joints to click everytime I get up?

10 years ago I had trouble with my knee. However after having treatment from a chiropractor, losing weight and doing knee strengthening exercises I’ve had no problems till recently. But I started to feel a weakness in my ankle and my shin bone feels sore. Sometimes my lower leg aches at night (this didn’t happen 10 years ago). Does arthritis in the knee cause shin pain and weakness or does it sound more like a sciatica like spinal problem? Although I’ve been doing lots of walking I haven’t been doing the strengthening exercises as I no longer go to the gym due to covid. Does this sound as though I now need a TKR?

My friend needs a vertebrae removed from his spine, he is worried that he won't be able to do anything for a while ie drive, help his wife etc. Do you know how long the recovery will be please?

Is it true that tomatoes make your oesteo-arthritis worse ? As read this quite recently. And are there any other food items which make the pain worse ? I always have box painkillers in my medicine cupboard from my doctor, but prefer the natural approach + have found the Magnesium spray that I buy from in Holland + Barratt's to be very beneficial. Either their own brand/label one or the Better You one. I keep one spray by my bed for spraying on my left ankle every night + another in the lounge where I sit.

I have arthritis in both my knees
I don't really want to get into relying on painkillers
Are there any exercises I could do which would help keep pain at bay

I had a full left hip replacement , four years ago. I have been in constant pain ever since and cannot lie on my left side at night, making sleep very difficult as my right side also needs a new hip. I have had steroid injections into my groin and hip , which were very painful and have

had no result. I'm being told it's Tronchial Bursitis, however I feel if it was I would be free from pain by this time.I'm concerened re the injections as now have had probably 8 in the past four years, I have daily antibiotics for other infections.

What is the best treatment or exercise for a sore neck caused by too many hours on the computer?

Hi there,
I consider myself quite fortunate compared with so many others as I only have mild arthritis in my thumbs which are helped by wearing compression gloves. However, I do have very unsightly, large bony-like nodules on several of my fingers which sometime swell and feel quite uncomfortable. I have no idea what they are or what I might be able to do to ease the discomfort.
Thank you.

I wonder if it is possible for everyone to receive an answer to their particular question as to be left without a reply would be awful. Some make me feel so sad while others make me feel yes please answer their question as it could be beneficial to me too. I don’t want to give too many personal information here so I’m going to stick with a simple one. When a flare up occurs, sometimes I’m in so much pain I can’t tell what to do with regards to applying hot or cold to the area. Sometimes I just choose one option and stick with the allotted time you are supposed to eg 15 minutes on 15 minutes off but I don’t always find it helps so assume I’ve picked the wrong thing eg hot when should have been cold or vies versa. Is there any way to help decide on the best aid? If it looks swollen and/or red then that’s obvious but quite often the agony is agonisingly real but surprisingly there is no obvious swelling.

I can't help feeling we have outlived our bodies!

I had to have an operation to sort my frozen shoulder. It was really painful but is amazing now. I then had exactly the same on my other shoulder again resulted in needing an operation but now have almost full use 98% and feel amazing. The steroid injections and physio didn't work for me at all.

I have osteoarthritis in my fingers which can be very painful at times. Is it worth taking turmeric supplements or something similar?

I’ve suddenly, out of nowhere, developed pain in the base of both thumbs. Excruciating when twisting the top off a jar or, more crucially, a bottle (?!). Is this a sign of things to come and what is the answer, if any?

Luckygirl

I can't help feeling we have outlived our bodies!

I’m sure we have, Luckygirl. I read a couple of years ago that human genome sequencing had shown that human bodies are really only designed to last 38 years. It made an impression on me as that was the age my eldest child was at the time.