Re: synovitis

[Guest guest]

hi Shirley... my right hand is a mess, too, but just thought it was from the RA. it isn't nearly as bad now as it was.. the were so painful i couldn't even touch my self or move it , but even though it is not as bad, it didn't go back to normal. it is miss-shappened, large swelling around joints and clear up into my wrist, the hand half again as large as the left one... and the the fingers will not function smoothly nor bend properly. i use tinctured ginger/comfrey as a linement o it and that has helped and also use ginger root along with my food or encapsulated and that helps a lot. What is synovitis? i could look it up but my dictionary is so danged heavy i hate to even get it down off the top of the desk! (have a roll top desk)

Love... grany lee

----- Original Message -----

From: Joe & Shirley Spoto

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 7:27 AM

Subject: synovitis

Hi all,#1 on my Christmas list is help withthe synovitis I have going on big timewith the RA. My right hand is a mess!Is anyone else dealing with this andif so, what is being done to help?Happy Holidays to all Shirley

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the input . I have learned to manage my pain, but it is an

ongoing struggle to simply keep the pain level below the point where I would

want surgery, even " if " surgery might help. I am 52. I guess that is what life

is all about :-/. Managing activity level is a very important part of the

" solution " , and not a short term remedy.

Mike

MT

synovitis

Dr. Dye (google him and look him up in pubmed.gov) believes that

a lot of anterior under the knee cap pain is synovitis and not

chondromalacia. He uses a bone scan to show how the synovium " light

up " . Mine did on bone scan. He reccomended surgery for concurrent

meniscal tear and believes in gently debriding the synovium.

However, I went for a second opinion with Dr. Lowenberg (both

these docs are in San Francisco) and he said surgery usually makes

anterior knee pain worse and that my meniscal tears were

" degenerative " since I'm 58 years old and surgery would not be

necessary unless the pain was constant. The meniscal pain is on the

side and is different from the synovitis pain. He said I should try

not to bend my knee, take Alleve and strengthen my VMO (quads). He

says 80% get better in 6months. Dr. Dye believes in the " envelope of

function " . Do not to anything that causes pain. For me that is walking

down stairs and hills. I have modified how I do those things to make

them pain free.

I'm using an exercycle at the PT gym and exercise under supervision. I

can walk for exercise only on flat surface. I think I'm getting better

but not sure because I do not want to test myself outside the

" envelope " of function. my knee was very swollen and hot when I was

first diagnosed but now it is not.

Good luck to everyone.