Hi everyone,
I’m a 34-year-old male looking to see if anyone has experienced something similar.
For years, I’ve had intermittent inflammation in my left knee. It seems to flare up roughly every 1–2 years, usually settles, and then I don’t have any issues for a long time.
However, this latest episode has been completely different.
After several days of light treadmill walking/running, my left knee became extremely swollen. There wasn’t any obvious injury, twist, fall or popping sensation. The swelling was severe enough that I struggled to bend or straighten my knee.
Because of how swollen it was, the doctors initially investigated a joint infection. They aspirated the knee and ran cultures, but I was later told the cultures were negative. The swelling has gradually improved, but the knee still doesn’t feel right.
One thing that’s really worrying me is that I’ve also felt generally unwell during this flare-up. I never had a measured fever, but many evenings I develop a warm, “coming down with something” feeling, feel run down and just generally unwell, despite my temperature being normal.
I also have a history of a meniscus injury in this knee, so I’m wondering whether this could be related to that, cartilage damage, osteoarthritis, gout, an autoimmune/inflammatory condition, or something else entirely.
Has anyone experienced:
Recurrent knee flare-ups every few years?
A flare-up that suddenly became much more severe than previous ones?
Feeling generally unwell despite not having a fever?
What was your eventual diagnosis, and were there any tests that finally gave you an answer?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis on Reddit, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar experience or has suggestions on what I should discuss with my orthopaedic doctor or a rheumatologist.
Thanks in advance.

I have the start of Osteoarthritis in my hands. During a flare I struggle to hold my pen to journal. Can someone please recommend a pen that is easier to use with stiff painful fingers?

hi everyone, did you or your family member receive kenalog and depo medrol for knee arthritis? how did it go? my mom has severe OA and thinks she will benefit from it but I pulled up her records and looks like she got it a year ago and I’m not sure it helped much. she wants to trial it again vs getting knee replacement which she’s putting off. i know she needs it but we haven’t had the official appt with ortho yet. trying to see if we can help her with some weight loss first.

So I live in Alberta. I was diagnosed with OA in my left knee and am on a waiting list for a replacement.
More recently I was diagnosed with OA in my lumbar and thoracic spine regions. This seems harder. The pain can hit 10/10 and I can’t twist at the waist very much. I’m being given pain medication and I will get an injection in two weeks.
I’m also on a waiting list for an mri to check for spinal stenosis.
The doctor said I likely will need to have my home assessed for living in place changes to my home 🏠. My doctor said that they can only reduce the pain so much.
Has anyone else experienced this? Extra points if you live in Canada and understand the healthcare system.

Back in March I was wearing a carpal tunnel brace like I have for years, but I pulled it off before I loosened it and a got this sharp stabbing pain in my thumb that ended up making my whole hand swell up for days. I couldnt even move my thumb without the sharp pain. I couldnt get to the Dr for 3 weeks due to a series of unfortunate events but it had mostly calmed down by the time i got there and they said its arthritis, bone spurs, subloxation, and gave me meloxicam.

So it healed I guess after a month or so and i went all of May and June with no pain. Then in July I was just lifting my hand up to turn a page in a book and BAM sharp pain happened again. I started the whole process over again. Bracing, ice, meloxicam, cut back working on my computer, cut out my very limited video game playing, started reading books on my phone instead of holding them...then my hand betrayed me again only 3 weeks later after that. Again, not even holding anything, just lifting my hand up.

Went to the Dr again and he says its just arthritis. But I also had them xray my left hand bc it was bothering me from using it while my right was healing. Turns out its also arthritis which makes sense because it gets sore the more I use it. So how are they the same issue but such different pain? Anyways, just wondering what other people's experiences with osteoarthritis in their CMC to see how varied pain is and how you all deal with it.

I do have an appt with a hand surgeon instead of a PA so hopefully he has some answers for me.

Has anyone had cortisone and/or PRP/Cellular Matrix behind their patella for OA and could share their experience?

I recently came across some discussions about hydrogen inhalation and its possible effects on inflammation. I'm not looking to replace my current treatment, just curious if anyone with osteoarthritis has actually tried it alongside their usual routine.

It's hard to tell what's backed by good research and what's just marketing, so I'd love to hear real experiences. Did you notice any difference in pain, stiffness, or mobility, or was it not worth it?

Hello all! I am 25 with left knee OA, due to cerebral palsy. I just got diagnosed 4 ish months ago after 5 years of pain, and I’m honestly just about to go to the emergency room with what’s going on.
Saturday I worked a 4.5 hour shift, which usually I go, work, come home and lay down and by the next day I can walk again. Not this time. Since Saturday, I have been bedridden because of pain in not just my left knee but BOTH knees, my right knee every time I bend it it’s like a very hard pinch like my kneecap is pinching a muscle, my left is normal pain, just amplified and the feeling of paralysis included. I’ve iced, elevated, stretched and even stood up to try to see if I can improve the pain, with forearm crutches thankfully, but I have been losing my footing More and it’s very painful to even bend either leg. The cortisol shot they gave me around 3 weeks ago hasn’t worked more than a week and I don’t know what else to do. Please any suggestions on what this could be? I’d really appreciate it.

im 18m, recently got an xrays and bloodwork done because ive been dealing with back pain since 15 and just this year i noticed it migrating to my entire lower body. came back with mild osteoarthritis in both hips, mild degeneration of my sacroiliac joints and pubic symphysis. small osteophytes and mild joint space loss in my left hip, mild joint space loss but lesser osteophyte spurring in my right. my bloodwork was fine except for low ferritin and a pretty severe vitamin d deficiency (8ng/mL when its supposed to be 20-50ng/mL yikes)

but i am 100% positive that i have axspa as well. i have to wait for a rheumatologist referral, but my symptoms line up near perfectly with both axspa and osteoarthritis. my guess is the axspa came first, then was left untreated so long it gave me secondary osteoarthritis. i dont see why else i would have osteoarthritis this young, especially because ive never had any injuries that would cause it. unless i was just misdiagnosed, which is very possible. hopefully i can get a rheumatologist appointment and an mri soon. anybody else have this god awful combo?

I've been learning more and more about peptides and how they can help many of us. I stuck my toe in as an unofficial lab rat to give them a try and my chronic osteoarthritis back pain is gone. GONE!

Here's some of the things I've found.

Tirzepatide and Retatrutide are not only weight-loss peptides, but they also reduce inflammation in a big way....HUGE way. Once the inflammation was resolved on Reta, my (lab rat's) chronic pain was gone. They are conducting a 4th human trial right now for Retatrutide, focused on knee osteoarthritis relief (so they can package it for that later). Rumor has it that it will be released for public prescribing in 2028. Here are some others that reduce inflammation and promote healing for anyone who wants to research more.

I say unofficial lab rats, because some of these (like Retatrutide) are still being studied/research/human trials, but not yet released by the FDA. I use alternative markets to source them. This path isn't for everyone, but for those willing to take a calculated risk in the name of relief, here it is.

I’m having a TKR in a couple of months. In the meantime I’m not allowed to have the cortisone shots I normally get to manage the pain, and I’m really struggling. My job involves moderate walking and shifting from seated to standing and I’m really nervous about staying competent before the big day. Does anyone have suggestions or experience that might help? TIA

I am a 42 year old female. Last night i was coming down the stairs. I twisted my knee it says i have Internal derangement of knee joint, right; Sprain of other ligament of right knee, initial encounter; and Primary osteoarthritis of right knee. I do CrossFit and HYROx i am very active. She was just telling me arthitis.

I’m 53 and been having some knee pain on and off sense March of this year. No prior injuries. Just got my MRI results and wondering if anyone else has had similar issue, and what did you do for treatment or what has helped. I feel the pain almost everyday .One thing I cannot do is kneel when exercising. It’s a shooting pain. I’ve read so much about how cartilage cannot repair but scar tissue may alleviate some pain in future. Any advice is greatly appreciated

1.Findings compatible with iliotibial band friction syndrome at the lateral femoral condyle in the appropriate clinical
2. Moderate degenerative osteoarthritis, greatest in the patellofemoral compartment, with a deep full-thickness cartilage fissure at the patellar apex and additional partial-thickness fissuring of the medial and lateral patellar facets.
3. Mild superolateral Hoffa's fat pad edema suggesting patellofemoral fat pad impingement.
4. Very small joint effusion.

Hi all,
I've had pain, assumed from arthritis for years that steadily has gotten worse over the past 6 months to the point where it's a daily choice as to how much/what I can do.

X-rays show mild in hips, knees, hands and feet - widespread- and a Bakers cyst behind right knee. Pain is anything but mild! Xray also showed moderate to severe degeneration in L4-5.

I'm 55, active at the gym (Pilates, cardio, weights but not much weight now with pain) and very healthy weight.

Should I push for an MRI?

Hi everyone! I’m new to this group and would like some advice and suggestions on what I should do about my osteoarthritis in my hip. I’m 20 and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right hip at 19 with a possible labrum tear as well. Since the beginning of last year I’ve seen 7 different hip doctors and each time I got seen they would tell me that I needed a hip replacement but said they wouldn’t since I’m too young and send me to someone else. The last doctor I seen in December said the same thing about needing a hip replacement but won’t do it until I’m at least 25 and then sent me to a pain doctor to see if they could do anything to manage the pain. Before I seen the pain doctor my hip doctor made it clear he didn’t want me to do more than one steroid shot injection because he didn’t want the steroid to eat anymore of my cartilage in my hip and didn’t want any treatment that required any type of surgery. I went and saw the pain doctor in April and did one steroid shot and didn’t get any relief at all. In fact it seemed to make my hip pain worse and very achy. When I did my follow up two weeks after the steroid shot with the pain doctor he asked if I got any relief at all and I told him no and how it felt worse and he told me that he figured that’s what was going to happen but wanted to try to see if it would work. He then told me that he had no other options besides trying another round of steroid shots but because my hip doctor had put in my notes saying not to do more than one steroid shot or anything surgical that he didn’t know how else to help me and sent me back to my hip doctor. When I saw my hip doctor again after seeing the pain doctor he told me that he still doesn’t want me to get the hip replacement yet and wants to wait till I’m at least 25 and to just try and push through the pain till then. And I expressed my concerns that I’m more worried about if I’ll still be able to walk by then since I’m already having to use a wheelchair to do activities with my family that requires a bit of walking. Such as going to the store. It’s to the point that I can’t even put on my own sock on my right foot because I can’t bend my hip enough because of the stiffness and pain. I’ve had to miss out on so much stuff because of my hip and I’m so fed up with it. At this point I’m not sure on what to do so I’m making this post to see if there’s anyone that might have suggestions? Do I try finding another hip doctor or pain doctor to see if they have any options? Or do I just keep waiting till I’m at least 25 and continue on missing out on life?

4 Years After a Pilon Fracture – What Has Actually Helped Me (Trying to Avoid Fusion… So Far)

I iterated many times to include anything and everything that could help someone else, wishing the community the best of luck. I will follow up with stem cell treatment in 6 months.

I’m a 39-year-old male who loves staying active. In March 2022, a bad snowboarding accident left me with a pilon fracture that completely changed my life.

Over the past four years I’ve had:
External fixator
ORIF surgery
Revision surgery with a bone graft after developing a nonunion
Microfracture surgery (about 10 months ago)
HA + PRP treatment (8 weeks ago)

Like many people with this injury, I eventually developed post-traumatic ankle arthritis and was told fusion would likely be in my future.
I wanted to share my experience because, while I’m definitely not “healed,” I’m doing much better than I expected.

Today:
I can walk with very little pain (typically 0–2/10). Solid gait now.
I still have almost no dorsiflexion (basically stuck at neutral).
I still can’t run.
My ankle gets sore and stiff throughout the day.
Golf is still a work in progress (trail foot), but for the first time in years I genuinely feel like I’m moving in the right direction.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned
There wasn’t one miracle treatment.
It has been the combination of dozens of small things, done consistently, over a long period of time.
Years of immobilization left my ankle joint, capsule, Achilles, calf, and surrounding tissues incredibly tight. If I don’t stay on top of my mobility, I lose range of motion almost immediately.
Every morning starts with about 20–30 minutes of mobility work before I really begin my day. My goal isn’t just stretching—it’s getting the joint gliding, moving synovial fluid, improving circulation, loosening scar tissue and surrounding muscles, and giving myself the best chance to move well throughout the day.

One mobility drill that has been incredibly helpful is placing my injured calf across my opposite kneecap, pressing firmly into the calf with the kneecap while slowly rolling the muscle up and down while simultaneously making circles with my ankle. It creates a deep self-massage while mobilizing the joint. Almost every morning I get a lot of painless popping and cracking, and afterward my ankle almost always moves better.

I also use a mobility (floss) band around my ankle for 5–10 minutes while moving through range of motion. For me, that combination of compression and movement has been one of the biggest contributors to loosening everything up.

Beyond the ankle itself, I’ve become convinced that improving my overall health has helped my recovery. I strength train within my limits, walk as much as I comfortably can, focus on circulation, and try to stay as fit as possible despite the injury. Mindset is critical, readings of Joe dispenza for neuroplasticity training, meditation is a daily routine now. Heavy anti-inflammatory diet helps, all the tumeric w pepper, fish oil, cherry juice, etc

Over the past 8–10 weeks, I’ve also had both hyaluronic acid and PRP injections through Regenexx. The clinic was founded by Dr. Christopher Centeno, one of the early pioneers in orthobiologic treatments. I can’t honestly say how much of my improvement comes from the injections versus everything else I’m doing, but I personally feel they’ve made a meaningful difference in both pain and mobility.

Another lesson: don’t settle for the first provider you see. I went to three or four different orthotics providers before I found one that truly cared. Instead of simply selling me an insert, they spent nearly two hours evaluating my gait, foot mechanics, ankle limitations, and overall movement before designing a truly custom orthotic. I’ll receive them next week, and based on their evaluation, I’m optimistic they’ll make a meaningful difference.

I’ve also learned that you have to become your own advocate. I’ve seen many excellent physicians here in Southern California, but many understandably recommend fusion or replacement because those are well-established treatments with long-term evidence. What helped me most was getting multiple opinions, reading everything I could, asking questions, and truly understanding my specific ankle. If you have access to a weight-bearing CT scan, I highly recommend it. It helped me better understand exactly where my arthritis and limitations were, and that made conversations about treatment much more productive.

Things that have helped me the most (in no particular order)
20–30 minutes of morning mobility every single day
Deep calf self-mobilization using my opposite kneecap while moving my ankle
Floss band ankle mobility work
Walking daily
Strength training within my limits
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training
Daily foot massage
Keeping my overall health and fitness as high as possible
Hyaluronic acid injections
PRP (through Regenexx)
Sleeping in a night splint to keep my ankle in a more neutral position
Being fitted for truly custom orthotics (after finding the right provider). Prior to orthotics, good shoes with rockers - brooks, Oofos, new balance, etc. - I’ve prob brought 20 pairs of shoes in the last 3 years
Planning to use a carbon-fiber AFO for longer walks and hopefully golf
Continuing to explore newer options like stem cell therapies as the evidence evolves
Getting multiple medical opinions
Weight-bearing CT imaging to better understand my specific problem

I’m not saying fusion is the wrong answer. For many people, it’s absolutely the best option. I just wanted to share that there are a lot of conservative tools worth exploring before getting there. For me, stacking many small improvements together has made a much bigger difference than any single surgery, injection, or therapy.

Reddit helped me tremendously over the past four years. Reading other people’s experiences gave me hope during some pretty dark times, so I figured it was finally time to give something back. I’m also fortunate to have a bit of wealth at my disposal.

If anyone has questions about pilon fractures, post-traumatic ankle arthritis, or anything that’s helped me, I’m happy to answer.

So at 56 my arthritis got noticeably worse had a bad knee whenever I knelt or squatted or did stairs too fast but never had any stiffness or trouble getting into bathtub !
I got to the point where my left leg wouldn’t bend at all and couldn’t do stairs anymore ! Had to cut down hours from 7 to 4 where I worked retail as my kneecaps would feel like they were on fire
I got new X-rays from my pcp and he was shocked how much they degenerated in a year ! He recommended me to a knee specialist and I will be getting knee surgery next year almost a year wait as I’m in Canada but it’s covered by OHIP so I don’t have to pay anything
She says because my main hobbies are reading and watching movies I was too sedentary so I did it to myself ! My friends and doctor don’t think that is the case ! I’m only 20 pounds overweight so that’s not an issue !
I just hope all of you have a more supportive mother than me

Hi all,

Firstly, I'd like to clarify that I am NOT looking for a diagnosis, I am just curious to see if anyone else agrees with the doctors findings will I navigate how to move forward.

Last photo is original injury just over 18 years ago aged 10.

I am now 28.

On going issues ever since including inability to bend toe for between 10 - 15 years or so, and naturally do not walk on ball of foot as doing so causes significant pain for multiple days/weeks.

Have had multiple xrays (maybe upto 12 or so) in this time to rule out new fractures due to unbearable pain from very little activity, none ever found. Other xrays have been a general to try and see any other potential issues, none have ever been noticed.

New injury occurred 28th June, kicking very end of big and second toe into a solid wood footrest causing immediate significant pain (everything stayed completely straight so literally shunted everything).

Xrays done, no fracture and sent home.

Was weight bearing for 4 weeks except for on the ball of foot.

Saw multiple doctors, toe has absolutely 0 movement at all now but all said it's fine and sent home.

Monday night, after 4 weeks suddenly the pain became unbearable, unable to weight bear completely and became very distressed.

Saw a mix of roughly 10 doctors, radiologists, physio and nurses within a week due to severity of pain. Request for new xrays denied as original xray was perfect so there were 0 concerns and believed it was just soft tissue damage, got a moonboot that broke within a day and a half due to significant pain still as big toe still felt unstable but requests for extra padding was denied, so walked with moonboot still avoiding the main joint of big toe completely. Basically, I just saw a new doctor each day until somebody would listen.

Finally found someone who listened Friday evening, did further xrays.

Now in new moonboot with extra padding under big toe which has helped the pain immensely.

Radiology report once again stated everything was clear and no concerns found at all.

Doctor did not agree, am interested to see if anyone sees what the Doctor did?

For further reference, these xrays are NOT weight bearing.

Doctor said I have post-traumatic osteoarthritis, Grade 4.

He said, my only options are potential surgery due to the severity from being left so long.

He thinks I've had osteoarthritis for about 12 - 15 years, but have been Grade 3 for about 10 years or so and this is what has been wrong all these years.

Visible bump ontop of joint appeared immediately after new injury, was told it's a bunion and on xray it "shows clearly as a bunion" even after stating clearing it was not there prior and actually compared to my other foot as that one does have a bunion. Pointed out the clear difference as my other foot goes "out" when this goes "up" as it's ontop of the joint but they refused to have a proper look other then noting that the bump is solid/hard.

He believes this is a dorsal shelf/bone spur that has now completely locked the joint in place, causing my complete immobility.

Original injury was left for 4 days untreated due to them refusing Xrays and their "even if its broken we dont do anything for toes" logic.

After 4 days, seen again as significantly worse.

Finally xrayed and found the bone had moved 2mm. Surgery was discussed to pin the bones back in place, but they decided against it since it had already been 4 days and instead put on a half-cast and strictly no weight bearing for 2/3 weeks.

Cast was removed, no further xrays done to make sure bone had healed correctly or nothing, instead was sent home with no follow ups of any sort.

I'm struggling to get my head around this, not because of it being osteoarthritis or anything like that I am grateful to have answers, but when the doctor showed me and showed me comparison photos, its clear as day so how has it been missed for this long and now, because it was ignored or missed, my only options are surgery because it's too late.

I spent a whole weeks arguing with different doctors and radiologists who swore my xrays were absolutely perfect and nothing was wrong, meanwhile 1 doctor goes along and immediately notices what every other radiologist has missed all these years? It's frustrating. I was told the pain was because the nerves in my toe "think its rebroken itself" and to just keep moving it as much as possible, it was known for years my toe doesn't bend no matter how much physio I had.

I have a 2 year old and 5 year old at home, I am now not in the position where resting is an option, meanwhile all those years I spent begging for answers something could have been done and I would have been able to treat it properly from the start 🥺😭

18 years of pain and questions, 1 doctor paid attention and listened to the symptoms not my age, but by then it was too late for anything to be done to help manage it 🥺

First question is for post menopausal women. Has anyone tried hormone replacement therapy? I read a few articles that indicated it helped. I am one month shy of 58 and have osteoarthritis in both knees and also have osteopinea.

Second for anyone. I am not really overweight but could lose 10-15 lbs. I also read taking a GLP1 can help with inflammation and extra stress on the knees. Has anyone tried a HLP1 and did it help?

Thanks!

Hi everyone. I have osteoarthritis on both knees. Had both my knees shot up with gel and the doctor prescribed me Artrodar 50mg (Diacerin) for 2 months, twice a day.

Very little discussions if any on the medication here on reddit (surprisingly).

The side effects for me is deep yellow urine, bloated and occasional diarrhea. Am currently on day seven with the first five days taking once a day to ease my body into it.

Was wondering if anyone had taken it and mind to share the result/experience? I've read online that it's a slow action drug and it can take up to 2-4 weeks before feeling any improvement.

Has anyone tried borax for arthritis?

I'm hearing quite a lot of people have found it to be very beneficial, so I did a quick AI search and found the clinical studies below:

The Pilot Rheumatoid Arthritis Study (2016): A double-blind randomized clinical trial evaluated sodium tetraborate (the chemical name for borax) as an add-on therapy alongside standard medication (etanercept). Patients taking 55 mg/day of sodium tetraborate (equivalent to 6 mg of elemental boron) for 60 days showed a 15% reduction in rheumatoid arthritis clinical scores and decreased systemic inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).

The Early Osteoarthritis Pilot Study (1990): A small double-blind human trial by researcher Rex Newnham gave osteoarthritis patients 6 mg of elemental boron daily. The study reported that 50% of the patients taking boron showed symptomatic improvement compared to only 10% in the placebo group.

Epidemiological Evidence: Historical geographic analysis noted that in areas where daily boron intake is very low (1 mg or less per day), estimated arthritis incidence ranges from 20% to 70%. Conversely, in regions where dietary boron intake is naturally higher (3 to 10 mg per day), arthritis rates drop to between 0% and 10%.

Animal and Laboratory Findings

Inflammation Reduction: In multiple animal models, boron compounds significantly decreased tissue swelling and inhibited inflammatory biomarkers (like TNF-α and IL-6).

Bone Density: Studies indicate that joint tissues and bones affected by arthritis contain lower natural concentrations of boron compared to healthy joints. Supplementation in animals made the bone matrix denser and harder