Received a letter from my surgeon that goes on to my GP - Chronic right foot pain with degenerate calcaneocuboid and tarsometatarsal joints. The only operations which can be considered would be fusion surgeries which can have a down side and there may be no way back if it's not successful.
Gee, where's the positive element in that statement? 'Degenerate' concerns me. How can I keep this at bay? Joint pills, physio, go to arthritis management places? I don't need this at 61. Fast forward to 85 and maybe I could understand the old age aspect of wear and tear on the joints.
It does seem a bit drastic. It will probably take time to take it in.
If you decide to take Vit C - don't take too much.
This is an excerpt:
Your body needs vitamin C for the synthesis of collagen. This substance is a component of ligaments, tendons, cartilage and other types of connective tissue. When cartilage breaks down, you may experience pain in joints and have an increased risk of fractures or damage to connective tissue. For example, osteoarthritis is a form of chronic inflammation in joints that causes the breakdown of cartilage, causing bones to rub together and pressure to form in joints. Ingesting your vitamin C each day allows your body to produce collagen to keep cartilage strong, decreasing the pain you experience. Additionally, the antioxidant properties of vitamin C help protect cartilage, limiting its destruction, the University of Maryland reports.
Benefits for Fractures
A study published in the "Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery" in 2007 reports that vitamin C can reduce pain in wrist fractures. Subjects in the study had confirmed broken wrists and were given varying levels of vitamin C, 200 mg, 500 mg or 1,000 mg, for 50 days. The study concludes that consuming 500 mg of vitamin C for 50 days can benefit pain in wrists after fractures. If your joint pain is fracture related, taking a daily dose of vitamin C may help alleviate some of your pain.
Proper Dosage
The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg for women. If you are pregnant, your dosage increases to 85 mg and breast-feeding ups your intake to 120 mg. Smoking increases oxidative stress, or free radicals, throughout your body. This can increase your joint pain, since free radicals damage cartilage. Being a frequent smoker increases your vitamin C needs by an additional 35 mg per day.
From a scatological point of view, I've had both extremes!
I know how you feel - i have various degenerative issues and they started in my 40's. I am sure alot of it is down to nhs failure to manage our autoimmune diseases holistically.
in reply to
That's funny about the NHS. I went on- line after getting a letter to secure an appointment and the next one for the ophthalmologist is in 220 days.
I can't wait to get the letter about physical therapy for the foot. Ha.
If it's the same time length, I will pay for it privately since I really need it asap. Or like yesterday.
Hi Sookiedee, like you I am experiencing severe foot pain. I have been to a private podiatrist, got a foot support from my chiropractor, all have failed to help. So I'm currently waiting for an appointment with the surgical appliance department at the hospital. This is to provide a purpose made support. No one has really explained what might be causing the pain. How was yours diagnosed?
Hi Mariliz, what I have is right up at the top of page. It's a mouthful so I don't want to type it again! But I think it's been on-going for a long time. My feet really hurt at the end of the day for three years, and I just thought that was usual after all my walking.
But now it's chronic and established osteoarthritis - I had an MRI a year ago and it was classified as early arthritis. I should have, at that time, headed for a physiotherapist who might have kept it at bay.
I'm sorry about your foot pain, and hope you receive support at the hospital. I googled up exercises for foot arthritis, and some are quite useful.
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