I'vbe been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hands. Three months ago, I saw an orthopedic surgeon who injected cortisone and lidocaine in the lower joint of both thumbs. The pain relief was immense. Today, I went back. I got the same injections, but the pain in both hands is worse. What's going on? Is this my future?

In my case the pain from osteoarthritis comes and goes from what I call "flareups". So I experience it for awhile and then it fades. Cortisone shot in the hip got me over one episode. So, hopefully, yours experience will be like mine and the pain is not a forever thing.

Mom has RA in her feet, she takes Embrel for it. Once a week shot. It does provide her relief.

It should calm down. I have the same problem in my left hand. You might want to wear a hand brace while driving and sleeping. My doc recommended it and it does help.

Wait and see if the pain persists for more than a day or two.

I have some moderate arthritis in my right knee, and I get injections every ~12-18 months for it. Most of the time my knee will feel a little extra sore for about a day after an injection, and the noticeable relief won't come until the following day.

This is apparently normal with steroid injections. Known as a "cortisone flare". The cortisone briefly irritates the joint for the first day or so, but the lidocaine (initial numbing) wears off after a couple hours. So you're left with about a day of discomfort in between. Should subside within ~24 hours.

Have you considered opinion, I did and made a big difference.

Osteoarthritis appears to have two causes. First is a wear and tear issue, the other is a cross reaction to a low grade bacterial infection.

Cross reaction arthritis is not that hard to treat. Change diet to no sugar, and low carbs. Clean out the gut with various supplements, and use other supplements to help kill off the infection.

RA is caused by a cross reaction to a low grade strept infection. Most pharmaceuticals work by weakening the immune system, so it stops attacking the involved joints. There are short term benefits to this, but the infection itself spreads faster when the immune system is weakened.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
I'vbe been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hands. Three months ago, I saw an orthopedic surgeon who injected cortisone and lidocaine in the lower joint of both thumbs. The pain relief was immense. Today, I went back. I got the same injections, but the pain in both hands is worse. What's going on? Is this my future?

How much of a Sugar Habit do you have? In 2021 I had arthritis in the Radial Head of both Wrists and the Basal Joint of both thumbs. In addition there was trigger finger in the middle finger of both hands. It was bad enough that just signing a paycheck was painful and forget about filling out forms at a Doctors Office.

That year the family gathering for Christmas was in Charlotte, NC and I stayed with my Nephew and his Wife. His Wife is a NP and very observant. One day she took me aside and told me she had noticed my sweet tooth and that if I cut way back on sugar it would improve my arthritis. I took that advice to heart and cut way back on Sugar. For example the ONLY low sugar cereal you will find in a grocery store is Corn Chex or Rice Chex. I have mine with some blueberry's on top. The end result today is that the ONLY remnant of Arthritis is a tiny bit of Trigger Finger in the middle finger of my left hand. I can now actually rack the slide on my 45ACP 1911.

If you really want an improvement the solution is to cut your sugar intake as much as is possible. Soda Pop, stop drinking it. It's either loaded with Sugar or artificial sweeteners that can also trigger arthritis. I drink Tea that is very mildly sweetened with 2 1/2 table spoons of Honey per Gallon of Tea. So any candy in your house, straight into the trash. Cookies, perhaps just one as an after dinner treat but choose a reduced sugar cookie such as Oatmeal. Cake, one slice once per year on your birthday. Donuts, never. Ice Cream, if you can find it there is a brand called Halo Top that has mainly artificial sweeteners but use an electronic kitchen scale to weigh out your serving and limit it to 52 grams. Yes this is a tiny serving, get used to it. Because you want to limit your sugar intake to about 1/5 of what it is now. BTW, I do slip on occasion but I get a warning pretty quickly about that because the Radial Head in my right wrist will start twinging. Pay attention to those warnings. Also note that High Fructose Corn Syrup is actually Sugar in another form.

At one time Sugar was quite rare and Costly. That limited the availability of sugar to only the Wealthy. Guess what, at that time only the Wealthy got Arthritis. Time has revealed that Sugar is actually a rather Toxic Compound. It sets off a cascade of hormonal responses that damage the joints, blood vessels, and the Heart. To such a great extent the American Heart Association is now considering listing Sugar as a primary cause for Heart Disease. They are also considering placing Sugar above Saturated Fats on that list.

Idk about osteoarthritis, but I did have a very sore lower thumb joint in the soft tissues, which also led to bruising of the joint.

A couple of peptide injections cured it. Will it help arthritis, idk. It may be worth a bit of research though.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:

How much of a Sugar Habit do you have?

Thank you for this post. I am a sugar-holic.
Sweets, sugar in tea and coffee 6x a day, Coke with salty snacks, or pizza, or burger n fries. You get the idea.

I have been blessed with being active (pickleball and sr softball) now being 70 I've now got to deal with some serious aches and pains. I'll need a formerly-unknown level of disipline to cut way down on the sugar habit I embraced for my whole life. Hoping my desire to play for a few more years will motivate me.

I also have osteoarthritis both hands, underwent the shots in both hands for a year. Once I had six sessions of Chinese acupuncture I have had no more pain or knuckle swelling. I also cut my use of white sugar.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
At one time Sugar was quite rare and Costly. That limited the availability of sugar to only the Wealthy. Guess what, at that time only the Wealthy got Arthritis. Time has revealed that Sugar is actually a rather Toxic Compound. It sets off a cascade of hormonal responses that damage the joints, blood vessels, and the Heart. To such a great extent the American Heart Association is now considering listing Sugar as a primary cause for Heart Disease. They are also considering placing Sugar above Saturated Fats on that list.

Hence Gout being known as a "rich mans disease", there are anti-inflamatory drugs you can take to help, much of the pain comes from swelling in the joints, that's what it does with Gout, your big toe swells up, it gets super painful as the swelling intensifies.

Diclofenac is a prescription and over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, manage joint stiffness.

When I feel Gout starting I'll pop one of these. You might ask your doctor about it.

LLM Google AI summary:

Diclofenac is a prescription and over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and manage joint stiffness.

Common Uses

• Arthritis: Treats symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

• Acute Pain & Injuries: Manages muscle strains, sprains, tendonitis, and post-operative pain.

• Migraines: Available as a specialized powder for solution (e.g., Cambia) for acute migraine attacks.

• Menstrual Cramps: Relieves primary dysmenorrhea (period pain).

Available Forms & Brand Names


• Oral Tablets/Capsules: Delayed-release, extended-release (Voltaren-XR), and immediate-release potassium/sodium tablets (Cataflam, Zipsor, Zorvolex).

• Topical Gel: 1% topical gel (Voltaren) applied directly to joints like the knee or hand for localized osteoarthritis pain.

• Other Forms: Powders for oral solution, liquid-filled capsules, injectables (intramuscular or intravenous), and suppositories.

Mechanism of Action

Diclofenac works by inhibiting cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1 and COX-2) enzymes, which blocks the body's production of prostaglandins—chemicals that trigger pain, swelling, and fever.

Important Safety Risks & Side Effects

• Gastrointestinal Issues: Can cause stomach upset, heartburn, ulcers, and serious gastrointestinal bleeding.

• Cardiovascular Risks: May increase the risk of serious heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, especially with long-term use or in people with pre-existing heart disease.

• Kidney & Liver Impact: Can lead to elevated liver enzymes or acute kidney injury; proper hydration is vital.

• Precautions: Should not be combined with aspirin or other NSAIDs, and is generally avoided during late pregnancy (after 20 weeks) or by people with a history of severe NSAID allergies or asthma.

Lots of great answers. I've been diabetic for 30 some years. I eat a ridiculously small amount of sugar, and have a very low carb diet. It took about 20 hours for the pain to subside, it's much better now. As far as the brace(s) go, I started wearing them on both hands during activities like mowing and driving, and while sleeping. NSAIDS are out, kidney disease. I guess it's just another issue to deal with.

Over the counter try tart cherry extract or tart cherries or their juice. Helped me a lot, almost as much as the prescription meds from my arthritis doctor. Between the two, no arthritis pain or damage, near as I can tell.

If you aren’t afraid of meds, HCQ works very well if you can tolerate the side effects, I couldn’t take the ringing in my ears volume increase with it. I finally landed on a sulfa derivative.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:

the ONLY low sugar cereal you will find in a grocery store is Corn Chex or Rice Chex.

Are you sure about this? Shredded Wheat is not "low sugar" -- it has zero added sugar.

^^^^
I consume lots of “old fashioned” rolled oats. Available in nearly all grocery stores. They’re certainly cereal, and no added sugar, so I think Scooter123 is wrong.

I eat rolled oats dry every day. Tastier than porridge IMO, and negligible prep and cleanup. I also add rolled oats to some soups to stiffen them up.

I, too, consider sucrose to be toxic. No arthritis here.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I, too, consider sucrose to be toxic.

Do you consider RoundUp to be toxic as well?

Them rolled oats are soaked in it prior to harvesting. Spend a little extra and buy organic.

Your question is not dumb. It seems this disease is one of the more mysterious ones. You can read a bunch of stuff about it and you're still scratching your head. You read some more and its even more confusing. Lots of diseases are mysterious like that. Our current state of medical knowledge and practice, as good as it is, is still primitive in the grand scheme of things. We were still using leaches 150 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I, too, consider sucrose to be toxic.

Do you consider RoundUp to be toxic as well?

Them rolled oats are soaked in it prior to harvesting. Spend a little extra and buy organic.

I buy 365 brand Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats from Whole Foods. Handy container, convenient amount.

I don’t know anything about the toxicity of RoundUp.

Touché.

I used to think that "organic" was a bunch of hooey. No more.