Anyone have any advice training with this extremely painful form of arthritis? When flare ups occur, I can’t even lift an 10# db.
Are you properly diagnosed with this? Are there any other causes? It’s often in conjunction with other health concerns.
Training while already enduring the pain/inflammation of CPPD likely isn’t a good idea, however therapeutic exercise like walking, biking and aquatics would probably help you recover during these flare ups.
You probably know this already, but having the right diet can help prevent these flare ups as well… Avoid red meat and shellfish as well as drinking soda/beer. Anti-inflammatories are incredibly helpful too; Biotest has their Micellar Curcumin, which I strongly recommend as well. I always thought Curcumin to be a waste until I started taking theirs; I was surprised that it worked as well as it does - I still take it daily to help recover from training soreness.
There are some recommended procedures that can help recover from this as well, such as draining fluid and anti-inflammatory injections.
For your reading (if you’re interested):
Which joint is affected?
Perfect timing for this thread. Dropped in to see if there had been anything posted on PG and here it is right on top…
I was diagnosed with PG after my last shoulder surgery ~7 yrs ago. During the worst flareups I couldn’t stand up straight or lift my arms more than half way up. It feels like hot glass in my joints when it flares up. Aching, painful stiffness when not flared up. I do know that not training actually hurts more (not moving the joints). I’ve struggled to find a consistent supplementation plan and have worked with many docs over the years. Most went down the RA or OA path, but bloodwork provides no evidence to those or regular gout.
Andrewgen_Receptors - thanks for that article. There are some great details in there that I can track to. My metabolism/hypothyroid treatment play a role as does my elevated ferritin levels over time (iron overload).
The best over the counter relief I’ve been able to come up with is a combo of ibuprofin (motrin) and acetominiphine (tylenol) to get me through BJJ sessions. If I skip this pre-training, I pay the price in my shoulders, back, and neck for a couple of days - pain, immobility, shit sleep, etc. For weights it’s Tigerbalm for some pre-work heat and minor relief and neutral grip everything for my shoulders - but I feel it on the back end afterwards for sure. Another problem is it is inconsistent. I can literally do the exact same training - same BJJ techniques classes, same number of sparring sessions with same dudes, same workout sessions - and one day I’ll feel fine, another day I feel like I was in a bad car crash. Diet is hit or miss in results - meaning I eat very clean and rarely (very rarely) have alcohol. When I do eat or drink outside my diet it definitely hits me and I’m inflamed for 2-3 days. This stuff sucks, comes and goes as it sees fit, and most docs I’ve seen haven’t been able to do anything about it beyond short term (steroid dose packs) relief.
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Thank you for your insights. Chrondrocalcinosis was found on X-ray and ultrasound. Blood work showed high Ferrtin and I’m going back for more testing to determine hemochromatosis. I’m taking Colchicine, which has helped, but I’m curious about this Biotest product. Is there Turmeric in this product?
Have you tried Colchicine?
Elbows, wrists, and knees.
Kind of the other way around… Tumeric is a spice, Curcumin is the part of Tumeric that has all the health benefits though. More than that, Curcumin was widely known to have poor bioavailability, but Biotest’s version is the most bioavailable of the Curcumin products on the market.
Normally I consider stuff like this to only be as effective as you believe it to be (placebo), but I have noticeably less soreness when taking it… although my soreness has nothing to do with gout or pseudogout. Still anti-inflammatories aren’t going to do you any harm with your condition. Try it out, or don’t - just giving out a product recommendation that has done well in my experience. (Biotest is T-Nation’s product line)
Hello. I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks again!
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