I have spondylosis have had for 5yrs how bad can it get.?!
Question: i have spondylosis had it for 5yrs its got worse over time but im on 30mg/500mg co-codamol and also 100mg of tramadol up to 4 times a day doc says only 1 twice adayt wass a emergency doc said i can up it if pain is so bad but what i want to know is if any other people have got it and if so what have you had done to try and get it better and what medication are you on all comments will be read.
i live in weymouth dorset and my doctor doesnt seem to know of much apart from just keep taking my medication.
Answers: i have spondylosis had it for 5yrs its got worse over time but im on 30mg/500mg co-codamol and also 100mg of tramadol up to 4 times a day doc says only 1 twice adayt wass a emergency doc said i can up it if pain is so bad but what i want to know is if any other people have got it and if so what have you had done to try and get it better and what medication are you on all comments will be read.
i live in weymouth dorset and my doctor doesnt seem to know of much apart from just keep taking my medication.
Primary care doctors (or GP's in UK) are not really trained to deal with special diseases. It took me 2 rheumatologists over a period of 5 years to diagnose me. I am now on 3 kinds of arthritis medication and the pain & stiffness are improved by about 90%. See a rheumatologist and get on something to relieve you besides just treating the pain. I'm on an anti-inflammatory, azulfidine, and plaquenil. It took about 4 months for all the meds to kick in, but my life has much better since they started working.
Best wishes to you. I hope you get some relief.
Wikipedia has a good description of Spondylosis and possible treatments at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondylosis
My advice would be for you to get an evaluation or a second opinion by an orthopaedist.
Is your condition caused by a work injury, a sport's injury, or a rheumatic disease?
If your condition is caused by a rheumatic disease, you should know that rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.
Rheumatic diseases are diagnosed in much the same way as rheumatoid arthritis, through a number of blood tests showing inflammation:
- Antistreptolysin-O (ASO);
- C-Reactive protein (CRP);
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR);
- Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Immunoglobulins A, E, and G;
- Complement 3 (C-3).
For more than 27 years, I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis like 20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The telling signs are the following:
- Joint pain or cracking joints in the lower extremities, feet, ankles, knees or hips in the early 20's or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis, involving the whole body;
- Blood tests showing elevated levels of C-Reactive protein (CRP) and Sedimentation rate (ESR).
Antibiotics like Minocin, NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, codeine, and statins like Lipitor are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis.
Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Make sure that you are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.
For any form of arthritis, you should consult an orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of arthritis from which you suffer.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.
The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:
http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/member...
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains a wealth of information online at:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask your doctor to test you for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.
Are there any other cases of arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of arthritis are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.
There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.
Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for at least 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. For rheumatic diseases which are less severe, the number of patients making a full recovery is even more impressive. For more info, please join the antibio group at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ant...