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I see ads for herbal knee pain patches. My 99-year-old mother has bone on bone knee pain and arthritis. Cortisone and gel shots have not helped. She uses Biofreeze which she thinks helps a little. Has anyone had experience with the patches? Do they work? Any side effects? Thanks for any info.

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Have you tried Voltaren Gel or patches?
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MACinCT May 2023
I was just about to recommend the same. The generic OTC is called difluenoc gel. It is an NSAID so check make sure there is no interaction with her meds. Bone on bone is pretty difficult and ready for surgery. If she is working with a doctor, just remember that herbals can interact with meds also. Especially at her age, you could ask the doc.
As far as OTC herbals, there is no regulation concerning dosage and formulation. Prescriptions are well studied as compared with a company that makes a product sold to thousands and not fully researched.
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If very potent cortisone and the gel shots have not worked, then it is extremely unlikely that anything else will help with bone on bone situations, tired.

There is something to be said for a placebo effect, however, and the presence of a patch she can see may help her, and is not likely to do any harm. Things ARE absorbed through the skin, so I would pass past her MD your intention to try this.
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No to Salonpas patches. They didn't work for me. Cortisone and PRP didn't work for me, either.
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Arnica gel works wonders buy at Wholefoods .
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I’m a retired Massage Therapist so I can tell you with some certainty that patches and skin creams are for muscle aches and very rarely do they bring relief to joints because of the skin being a very necessary barrier. That being said their is a therapeutic solution I used successfully with my late husband who was a cancer patient. He had cancerous tumors actually replacing the bone material of his lumbar spine. Nothing helped to relieve the pain, even opioids. But if I put an ice pack on the affected area and put a heating pad on the opposite side he would have almost immediate relief (after initial warming up do be sure to turn it to a low setting for elderly patients due to burning risks). 20 minutes out of each hour until relief is experienced.
The two differing temperatures created a moist heat but also turned off pain receptors that were slightly “confused” by 2 types of sensations. Ice is your friend for pain and inflammation but our elderly ones don’t like the cold do the heating pad helps address that as well.
Otherwise I have noticed that CBD orals (tinctures or edibles) with low milligrams of THC (must be indica) taken at night in very small doses are effective at reducing the levels of the pain over time and improves sleep quality but it’s very important to start small and not get an elderly patient dizzy which they are prone to do.
Bone on bone means the nerves are impinged and nerve paid does not respond to NSAIDS as effectively as to Acetaminophen but as always there are risks so do consult her Primary Care Physician for dosage advice or interactions with other medications if taking any.
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bianca12 Jun 2023
Do you mean you put the ice pack on then put the heating pad on top of the ice pack? I was a bit confused about what "opposite side" meant. Thanks in advance for clarifying.
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Yes-my mother in law uses lidocaine patches. She gets a script for lidocaine 4% or 5% patches. Says it helps give relief. No miracle cure… but she’ll say it helps….and honestly she swears by aspercreme too…The roll on type.
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Dad and I use CDB on our knees. Works great. I bought a salve (preferred) or a stick for when I can’t wash my hands immediately.
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As far as I know, bone-on-bone pain has no real relief. You might use lidocaine.. but, from what I know, mostly the relief is plecebo effect.
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Try Outback Oil. You can get it on Amazon or their website. It is great for nerve and muscle pain. It is pricey, but it works. They have a money-back guarantee and you do not even have to send the product back. It's definitely worth a try.
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I get a compounded cream made at compounding pharmacy. It requires a doctor's prescription. Here is the "recipe":
Keto 10
Keta 10
Lido 5
Cyc 1
DMSO 10
TPB
I put anywhere I have PAIN, and it works pretty quickly. If I put it on my arthritic fingers, I wear non-latex gloves over it, which keeps it working for hours.
I also take three Purity Products for my knee arthritis:
1. Joint Gel (chocolate) (shaken in one of those shakers that has the coiled metal ball)
2. G.C. Flex (which has glucosamine)
3. Flexuron
(If you call them directly, you can get 50% off the website prices.)
If your mom is 99, she's doing pretty well. I'm only 59 and falling apart! Doubt I'll make it past 89 with all of the arthritis coming on, coupled with an E4 gene. I hope you can get the compounded cream. It really helps.
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My 94 year old Mom uses diclofenac gel. You can get it at a pharmacy or Costco. There's also a salonpas cream with 4 %lidocaine which is helpful. Both are for temporary relief.
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No. But found a great pain cream on Amazon. It called Neuropathy Cream by a company named Genius. It works well on any kind of pain. Costs $25. Worth it
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My 89 mother has bone on bone arthritis of her knees as well. One knee is much worse than the other and as a result of the more severe pain in the one, she strains her other. She has had the shots, arthroscopic surgery some years ago, the gel as well as acetaminophen and other assorted purported pain relievers. She has resisted surgery given her age, but several doctors have now told her that once it gets to be bone on bone, the only relief other than a knee replacement is a placebo effect. She has finally consented to knee surgery. The knee is only going to get worse and it's affecting her quality of life. She has now decided it's worth it. The stats look good given her overall health. They will not be using general anesthesia due to increased potential risk of dementia.
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Candyapple Jun 2023
Stats may look good but the after effects will be worse she will wish she’d would have did other. But it’s up to the individual .
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My mom had the bone on bone knee situation with arthritis.

I’m not familiar with the patches that you are describing. I bought the Blue Emu cream for her to use. It may have helped slightly. I’m not sure if anything will give much relief though.

Mom took Tylenol as well. She preferred Aleve but she was told not to take it, Advil or Motrin.

Best wishes to you and your mom. I hope you will be able to find something to give her relief from the pain that she is experiencing.
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Definite diflconac gel. It's particularly good for joints. It's not like a moisturizer cream: it takes a lot of effortto rub it in.
I've had moderate success to lidocaine patches. I can buy 4% OTC, but 5% requires prescription and my insurance won't pay so I stick to the 4%. Patches I've found come in two basic types: lidocaine or menthol. The mentol often have other stuff in them. I prefer lidocaine. Good luck to you and your mom.
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The dr ordered lidocaine patches for my parent and she said they really helped. She also used biofreeze at night when she went to bed. She had same problem, knee shots no longer helped and was no longer a good candidate for knee replacement due to advanced age and mobility (caused by the knee pain).

I will mention a procedure called Coolief. They go in and sever the nerves around the knee cap. Small holes and a cool laser thing is used. Some light drugs used during procedure, but she got ALOT of relief from that for well over 6 months. You might talk to her doctor or an osteo doctor about doing it. Recovery was nothing, no pain at the site and just a little sleepy right afterwards.
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AliOJ58 Jun 2023
Thanks!!
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did u try salonpas… or any other over the counter products. I remember my grandmother years ago she use to use dw40 the oil u use for the car. I was like grandma really. I asked did it work she said yes. I was in my teens at the time. No we I’m 60. She died at the age of 95. Go figure.
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I think surgery is worse. Once ur in ur late ages u should just deal with other options than surgery . Just my opinion .
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One should never use heat pad with the creams used. It’s either or.
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I’m 60ish and wear a neoprene brace with metal hinges to prevent any lateral movement. I have hyaluronic acid injected about once a year. The time between injections is decreasing as I get closer to requiring full knee replacement. HA increases the viscosity for smoother motion and cushioning. Some people get little relief. It works tremendously for me. I play hockey (hey, I’m Canadian) and it makes enough difference that I can continue. It’s about $500. I don’t know if it’s a practical option. Maybe ask an ortho surgeon to compare it with cortisone (I’m not a fan).

With regards to replacement surgery, it is now sometimes done with a spinal block, instead of a general anesthetic.
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Justsotired: As cortisone and gel injections have not helped, your mother's arthritic knees may be past the point of any other effective remedy.
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Try Tylenol and Voltaren gel/cream. That helps my arthritis pain.
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In my opinion and experience, if the gel and shots are not working, the pain patch won't either. I use the knee patches and they work for me but I have arthritis, not bone on bone deterioration.
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Patches don’t work for me more than 1/2 hour

im 56 with bone on bone deterioration and arthritis gets worse every year in my hands and ankles. Hereditary blah

i use Tiger balm every night and hit showers and heating pads help

glucosime works for me (I had one doc recommend, another scoffed). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

jello every day has helped too reducing stiffness.

good luck!
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My 95 yo mother had serious arthritic pain in her knees and back. She ended up sitting in her recliner and popping Advil. The creams/sprays and patches were mere placebo but if that helped, fine. Her doctor did put her on some stronger pain meds, but she did not like the way she felt taking them.

I inherited that gene and have arthritis in just about every joint of my body. The patches and creams helped my mother a little, if coupled with some Advil or Aleve. But for me, several of my joints are bone on bone and those are the areas that the patches and cream will not work for the pain - mostly because there is no other surrounding tissue around the joint - once bone on bone, no cortisone, no gel, no prp injections work. About the only thing for me that helps lessen the pain by a teeny bit is not moving/resting (but that isn't good for the rest of me), applying heat, and taking some tumeric and also some Aleve. I know surgery is inevitable.

I would be surprised if any surgeon would approve a surgery for your mother - if she was even 90, they might consider it. But unfortunately, at 99, it probably won't be authorized. So, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible is the key.
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