Osteoarthritis

onekeano

My wife aged 58 has suffered over the last 18-24 months with shoulder / back pain to the extent that sleeping at night is seriously disturbed and if seated for a significant time she suffers pain getting up. She gets some relief from walking which she does a lot now.

About a year ago she went to the doc and he recommended a physio - she followed the regime religiously but to no real avail. She also takes a tablet once a week but again - no real benefit to date.

What I'd really like to get is the name of a recommended consultant where she could get a really comprehensive diagnosis which would lead to the best possible treatment as it's quite distressing seeing someone so energetic having their life curtailed by this condition.:(

Any advice would be very much appreciated,

Roy

horsey63

I'm in my mid fifties and have had osteoarthritis for a long time and have had knee,shoulder and spinal surgery. Believe it or not, I have 3 different consultants for all three complaints, 2 Orthopaedic and 1 Neurosurgeon for my back, its now the norm for surgeons, especially in the orthopaedic field to mainly concentrate on one or two joints. . I think your best bet would be to go back to your gp and have a review, and ask for some x-rays or mri's to be done and go from there, if you have private health insurance this will speed things up for you.

artemis268

onekeano wrote: »

My wife aged 58 has suffered over the last 18-24 months with shoulder / back pain to the extent that sleeping at night is seriously disturbed and if seated for a significant time she suffers pain getting up. She gets some relief from walking which she does a lot now.

About a year ago she went to the doc and he recommended a physio - she followed the regime religiously but to no real avail. She also takes a tablet once a week but again - no real benefit to date.

What I'd really like to get is the name of a recommended consultant where she could get a really comprehensive diagnosis which would lead to the best possible treatment as it's quite distressing seeing someone so energetic having their life curtailed by this condition.:(

Any advice would be very much appreciated,

Roy

This is a very common illness so I think any rheumatology consultant in Beuamont for example would be able to manage this. It sounds like she needs to increase the dosage and strength of the tablets she is on and also a check up on the severity of it. Wish her well.

onekeano

Horsey & Artemis, thank you very much for the feedback - it's much appreciated. She'll be back to the GP this week and your suggestions will at least she will have some pointers to tease out with the GP.

Many thanks
Roy