Does anyone know the difference between an offloader and a functional knee brace for osteoarthritis? I think I understand the principle behind the offloader, which is not suitable for me as there are no undamaged compartments for weight to be offloaded to, but I'm not sure my orthotist is giving me the right alternative. Certainly I don't feel the brace I'm testing is helping, at least not enough to notice. The only thing which makes my knee better is not to walk at all, and this is simply not on if I want to maintain what's left of my cardiovascular and brain health!
The knee brace I've been testing is Donjoy Nano, and I seem to be sensitive to the material it's made of (broke out in a rash) so have to wear it with an undersleeve, so it inevitably slips more quickly than without the sleeve, which may be why it isn't helping much if at all. It doesn't help that I'm underweight and most braces won't fit me.
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HeronNS
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Hi HeronNS , So you are having issues with the material and need to use a sleeve.... You could get a sleeve and add with a craft glue gun small rubber glue spots to prevent the brace from slipping.
HI, thanks for your reply. Not sure I understand. Is the glue supposed to stop the sleeve slipping against my skin? Or to stop the brace slipping against the sleeve? Will the glue survive multiple washings?
Have you ever seen hospital slippers that have those sticky little bumps on the bottom to keep the patient from falling?
Its the same thing if you use fabric glue in a glue gun on the outside of the protective sleeve the brace should stay in place. It should be ok with washing its glue made for fabric, Ive use similar for a rug that had no grippy stuff on the bottom of it.
I think they are probably dirt cheap. They gave me one because of the problems with the brace. I'll have to buy more, of course. If it works out at all. I'm quite discouraged. I seem to have gone almost overnight from walking up to 10,000 steps a day, sometimes more, to hardly being able to manage 2000 without regrets. Oh well, could be worse.
I 100% understand the aggravation of not being able to walk, I have psoriatic arthritis that has destroyed my feet, knees, hip and finally worked its way to my shoulder.... So I can’t walk MUCH and definitely not for distance unless I can sit throughout the walk (FUN) and now I can hardly pull up my pants because of this stupid shoulder!
I use to be a very active person always on the go either hiking, running or walking and lots of fitness classes to dread doing anything requiring too much movement!
On another note have you looked into the walking walker?
Sounds like you have a lot to deal with. I use a version of Nordic walking poles, called "stabilizer" poles which can be used to take weight off the legs when walking, but of course that wouldn't work for someone with a bad shoulder. I'm pretty sure the pain I get in my shoulder is actually referred pain from my neck which has severe arthritis in a number of the vertebrae. Poles are good to use, but some other shoulder-using activities are not. Have to say this aging process truly isn't fun, although so far I think it's better than the alternative!
Carefully observed what happens with brace and sleeve today, and it's actually the whole thing slipping, including the sleeve. There is a neoprene sleeve available, but as it's quite likely the lining of the brace is made from neoprene and my skin doesn't like that, guess that would be no use to me. Not sure brace helping anyway. It was quite a relief to take it off this afternoon - I'm carefully working up the number of hours I wear it every day as instructed, now that my skin is healed, and it was on for five hours.
How long have you had this diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis? It sounds very damaging. Is there a treatment to slow down the deterioration of joints?
I had thyroidectomy (cancer) in 2016 and everything came crumbling down about 2 weeks after the surgery and was repeatedly told my pains are from exercising too much and need to take rest days. I spent 2 yrs seeing one Rheumatologist after another and then a neurologist then a podiatrist every single one of these doctors kept saying you exercise too much (I heard this constantly) by this point I was in so much pain that I stopped working and stopped exercising and leaving my house at one point I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom (imagine having broken legs) and being forced to walk without crutches or cast on your legs, thats me for 2 years. I finally had enough and demanded a second opinion to John Hopkins University Rheumatology department (they only see you if your selected) the head of the department diagnosed and has been treating me for the past 2 years.
I inject a monthly biologic called Cosentyx but, sadly the 2 year wait to be properly diagnosed and treated pretty much sealed my deal the damage is bad and because I’ve been inactive for 2 years and had to deal with living without a thyroid my weight has ballooned and I seriously see no end in sight.
Its comical though for 2 years I was told my pains are because I workout too much but now that Im still in pain and overweight it’s because I don’t exercise enough “long sob” !
No I don't have a neoprene sleeve, and we don't know what the lining of the brace is made of, but some people do react to a chemical in neoprene. As I've used both a splint and a different brace on the other leg for various unrelated injuries and never had a problem there's something in the lining of this brace. The neoprene sleeve is an optional extra and pointless for me to try, Those are expensive. I break out in an itchy rash, just like I used to get on my hands when a child and had handled certain things.
Seriously, doctors of all kinds during their training need to be put through a simulation of the most painful and disabling illnesses so they have a better idea what they're dealing with. I spent over a year (nothing like your ordeal) not being diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica by a young doctor (female too, she should have been better) who I think viewed me as a hypochondriac old woman! I assumed my increasing pain was due to the OA getting worse, but by the time fourteen or so months had rolled around and I could hardly turn my neck enough to see out the back window and thought I'd have to give up driving, and discovered it wasn't clothing sizes changing but a catastrophic weight loss I did get to see another doctor who diagnosed me very quickly. PMR is treatable, thankfully. I have to say OA is beginning to make treated PMR look like a walk in the park, because OA really isn't treatable although its progression can be slowed down. I was diagnosed when I was 40, sure I had it in my neck before that, and now I am 73, so I think I did slow it down. Pay off time now!
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