“inflammation is now understood to be a key mediator of OA that contributes to cartilage loss and progressive degeneration of affected joints… OA is no longer considered a noninflammatory arthritis or a ‘wear and tear’ disease”
I heretofore thought age-related cartilage loss was the cause of osteoarthritis and inflammation. Turns out it’s the other way around: the inflammation degrades cartilage. Okay, no more slogging through joint pains for me, regardless of how small.
Edit: added a phrase for clarity
Me reading this while rubbing my chronically sore knees from sports training…
Here I am staring at my sausage-like thumb that’s been swollen like this for three days thanks to rheumatoid arthritis. This article gives good context for why RA often results in OA at a younger age. Maybe I will go take a prednisone and apply another dose of diclofenac to try to knock this inflammation down…
RA… oof. That shit is a curse*, a giant FU from the universe. I hope you get the relief/management you need. Tangential: does the prednisone get you all hyper?
*My aunt had it. In my pre-teens, my mother sent me to live with and care for her in final years (it wasn’t the RA that got her), so I deeply empathize with your health struggles.
Thankfully an RA diagnosis today is extremely different than one even 20 years ago, and I’ve only had it since the start of 2025. There are a lot of good options for meds, and there are some very promising long-term treatments on the horizon.
If actuarial tables estimate correctly, I’ll have around 40 years to live with this shit. My hope is for a cure before that happens (there has been enough advancement in autoimmune treatment even in just the last 5 years that it’s not a total pipe dream).
All that said, after spending most of 2025 with intolerable pain in my hands, I know if something prevents me from getting treatment long-term (like a societal collapse, not like pharmacy challenges), I expect I would find a way to …opt out. I was losing my mind until I found treatment that works (at least most of the time… this week is thankfully the exception now).
As for prednisone, I have extremely few side effects from it and no hyperactivity at all. I took it often from my diagnosis last May through this January. The first time was doses from 2.5–30 mg a day (normally 10–15) for most of 3 months straight. I had zero complaints while on it; however, upon stopping I was exhausted for about three days straight. Tired to the bone kind of feeling.
I ended up back on it for another 3 months, at or below 10 mg daily and I tapered more slowly, so the tiredness was much more manageable that time.
Like another commenter said, that’s a lot to expect of a pre-teen. I’m sorry you had to see that so young.
In my pre-teens, my mother sent me to live with and care for her in final years
I imagine this to be no easy task for anyone, especially a pre-teen.
No rheumatoid arthritis here but took Prednisone for an issue I had for a few weeks and I did not notice any sort of hyperactivity. And most others I talked to did not either although several did.
There have been some good medications for RA created in the last decade or so. Has your rheumatologist prescribed anything longer term than prednisone? Prednisone is not really a long term safe solution.
Prednisone is my rescue medication for flares, not my normal treatment. Hence why I thought I might take it just today.
I’m on two meds, one that came out in 2019. I’ve been diagnosed for a year this month, and I have cycled through five or so drugs to finally land on a combo that actually controls the pain. The current inflammation is unlike what I’ve experienced regularly before, in that it is purely swelling with no pain, but I also have a reasonable theory as to the cause. I plan to bring it up at my next appointment regardless.
It has long been known that certain bacterial infections like strep can cause horrible debilitating pain in your joints, most common I believe like knees and stuff, but other people like shoulders and elbows. Not just strep though.
They treat it with cortico steroids, which are bad to take in high doses for long periods of time, which this is. Very very bad. Perhaps not as bad as horrible debilitating chronic pain.
My back and knees tingle reading this. Just waiting on the knee cortisone inflammation to ease off 😉
Bruddah/sistah/non-binaryah, I know your pain intimately. I got my first shot in the knee 3 months ago. “And to think… I hesitated.” Sending warm recovery thoughts your way. What kind of physical therapy regimen does the sawbones have you on?
Arthritis in both knees more severe with the one and the torn cartilage which I’m only on my second injection so far while I await a specialist. Can do any exercise as long as it’s not impact oriented so no running, jogging or fast walks. Can still row and cycle. Then there’s the OA in the lower back which just gives way when I look at things wrong.
Kind’a kneeew it was coming and put off getting it checked out whilst I was young. Things catch up eventually 😉
Thankfully I live in a place with universal healthcare. Takes a little longer but I’m not out of pocket.
Sounds like it might be a good idea to suggest people taking glucosamine and turmeric early.
Low impact exercise is a great tool for reducing inflammation. Vitamin D is also an important part of regulating your immune system. Anything that supports a healthy immune system will help regulate its response and reduce inflammation.
Turmeric is questionable. A lot of early studies touting its benefits were published by the same person/group, and they had financial motivations behind it. Some has been straight debunked, and skepticism is a good stance to hold on it. Plus it’s been shown that turmeric supplements are a major source of lead, so the risk may outweigh the possible benefits.
