Have you ever felt legs like concrete, stopping you from walking almost altogether?
Started to happen 5 years ago, beginning first with pain and inflammation of left knee, culminating in just stopping almost all movement_sort of like a robot_as I walked across a parking lot, barely able to reach sidewalk. From then on I would start to walk pretty normal, but still with pain and stiffness, with all "cement-like" feeling coming back if I walked couple of blocks.
Seen by family doctor and checked for gout and arthritis, tests came back negative. Same for hospital visit less than 3 weeks later. When doctor referred me to rheutmatologist I could not manage by time I got appointment to even walk. Thought it just impossible to walk hospital grounds to get there!! Noticed with time that after couple of days of hardly walking or standing would make symptoms die down considerably. But now, five years later, being able to walk total of maybe six blocks daily and regular walk from one place to other in home, etc., has brought back pain, now mostly right knee and both legs.
Public Comments
1. Everything you say sounds exactly what is wrong with my legs. Drs. had no idea what was wrong, just that something was. I was taken by ambulance to UCDavis Med Center in Sacramento where they did a cat scan from my chest to my waist. Showed that I had plaque buildup on my heart and a small blood clot in my lower abdomen that was causing my legs to get hardening of the arteries(they have a technical name, but I forget what it's called) I am now on 5 different meds and I still take herbs. I figure that maybe one day I will be able to afford the herbs that I need to heal myself without drs. and their drugs. Cheaper too.2. You should consult an Orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to confirm his diagnosis.
Lyme disease is 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 arthritis is 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. Other rheumatic conditions are also treated with antibiotics. For more info, please join our group at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/antibio
3. I felt the same way, but I took a different approach. I let the pain and the swelling pass, then I got out there again. I would walk and jog for one mile and if I felt the pain and the swelling coming back, I would use sportscreme. I would also make it a habit to do 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, which is something I would not do before. I went from not being able to jog more than 1 minute to jogging one mile! I realized that exercise (keeping active) is very important in life.
I hope my experience is of use to your situation :)
Diane
http://www.myspace.com/dlg2006
4. I have similar problems (worse when I travel or become less active) and went to a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, that was 15 years ago. The problem with my knee progressively got worse with numerous x rays saying no arthritis, then It got worse and the last xray said severe arthritis, some problems do not show up on xray until it's too late. I use aleve and ice. Keep going back to the doctor, you know there is something wrong with you and don't let them tell you there isn't.
Check out this site if you are interested. http://www.fibrohope.org
Try to keep as active as possible, even if all you are doing is walking the hall. I know it hurts.
5. First, ask your Dr. for a P.A.D. (peripheral artery disease) test which is a simple test to measure blood pressure at the ankle area. The purpose of the test is to compare blood flow in the lower extremeties to that of the upper extremeties.The result could determine any circulatory problems or concerns.Another test that you should get is called CRP test, this is called C reactive protein and what it does is determine if there is inflammation in the artery walls of your legs. Your symptoms point in that direction.
