‘I wasn’t willing to just accept it’: Life with osteoarthritis at 71

71-year-old Gwynne from Adelaide has been living with knee osteoarthritis for four years.

At first, the pain in her knees gradually started to worsen, but soon she was struggling to walk or get up from her chair.

Eventually, she had to give up gardening; a hobby she thoroughly enjoyed. 

"It was horrible getting up and down. I'd actually get partway down, and then I would have to just let myself fall to the ground," Gwynne told Aged Care Insite.

"I live at the beach near a boardwalk, and I had to quit walking there because of all the steps. 

"And little things like going to the ladies' room – I had to use the handicapped stall, otherwise I couldn't get myself off the toilet."

Gwynne is one of the 2.2 million Australians who experience joint pain daily due to osteoarthritis.

It's a condition where the tissue at the end of the bones wears down, causing joint pain in affected areas such as the hands, hips and knees.

Over 60 per cent of older Australians are living with osteoarthritis and it affects one-third of those aged 75 and over.

When Gwynne visited her GP, she was told to lose weight and exercise more. The GP also prescribed Osteo-Es, an over-the-counter pain reliever that relaxes muscles. 

She said her doctor also told her muscle pain was a 'normal part of ageing' and to 'live with it'.

"I wasn't willing to accept that," Gwynne said.

"I knew there had to be something I could do to get rid of arthritis."

She then came across an online advertisement from university researchers looking for participants to join in a trial where they used yoga to treat osteoarthritis.

A few global studies have had success in using yoga to reduce pain and joint stiffness associated with osteoarthritis, yet GPs don't commonly suggest exercise to people living with the condition.

The Melbourne University researchers planned to follow older Australians during an online, unsupervised 12-week yoga trial. 

At first, Gwynne was hesitant to join as her regular exercise classes caused her 'horrible pain' in her knees.

"I am so pleased that I chose to participate because the results have been amazing," Gwynne said. 

"The first few lessons were very painful, but I was allowed to progress at my own pace, which was so helpful."

During the trial, she followed pre-recorded videos on Zoom and engaged in yoga poses an hour three times a week.

"At first, I thought, 'oh, it's too easy'. It was still very painful, and I didn't think anything was happening," Gwynne said.

"But around the fourth lesson, I started thinking, 'hang on, this is kind of feeling better'.

By the end of the study, Gwynne could complete all the exercises comfortably, and, today, she's still enjoying her weekly yoga classes by herself.

"The best part is that I have gone from using assistant toilets to moving freely, gardening again and walking with no pain," she said.

"But I don't do the warrior pose anymore. That's a bit too much.

The study, recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed over 200 older Australians to find a reliable solution to manage osteoarthritis symptoms without the use of medication.

Lead researcher Professor Kim Bennell said science is still in the dark as to what the biological mechanisms are behind yoga as a treatment of osteoarthritis.

"It might be coming from the physical effects when you're strengthening muscles or improving joint range of motion," Bennell said.

"The good thing about yoga is that it does have a focus on both the physical and the psychological aspects. The meditation aspect provides some relaxation."

Bennell said that while exercise is critical in treating osteoarthritis, many people admit they're not as active as they should manage their symptoms properly.

She also saw a similar trend at the end and after the trial, where participants' motivation started to wane.

"A lot of people stopped after that. And as expected, if you stop, you lose the benefits," she said.

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