Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Newbie...REALLY dumb question!

Hi all!

I'm relatively new here and this is my first post. I have a dumb question to ask....does anyone else have trouble putting on socks and shoes? I'm not referring to the bending motion...at this point I am still okay with that. But when I try to lift my leg and rotate it to put on a sock, tie a shoe, or wash my foot in the shower, I feel a lot of pain in my hip...or maybe SI joint. Not real sure. It seems to radiate down the front of my thigh. I was diagnosed about 20 years ago and I've dealt with a lot of issues over the years, but this is a new one for me. It is only the right side. I've also been dealing with a lot of pain in my right knee and don't know if this is affecting the hip or what is going on. Is this characteristic of AS? I'm hoping I'm not alone and that someone can shed some light on this new pain for me.

Thanks so much!
Jackie

I used to have a lot of trouble with that, but the Spondylitis Association has an excellent stretching DVD which I've been doing 2x daily for months. This has helped with my flexibility and mobility so much. Swimming got me to the point where I could do the exercises without hurting myself. Also there are shoe horns and sock grabbers online at several different websites. Here's one , but there are many more.

Peace

Hi Jackie. About the knee pain, it sure can be the AS. Some mornings I wake up, like today, and my left knee has totally gone south on me. Straightening and bending causes pain galore.
The other morning I woke up and my right foot went bad. Could hardly stand on as it felt literally broken but took a Celebrex and by the afternoon the pain had diminished to where I could walk ok.
It's like a body pain buffet.
I use a plastic sock helper and it's been working like a charm.
Is the pain with you constantly or is it intermittent?

I refer to it as the Whack-A-Mole game.

Jackie,

I didn't like putting my socks and shoes on until I started to get good treatment. My pain was everywhere. Sometimes I would just ask my wife to tie them. I felt like one of the kids!

John

EricaK,

Thanks for the info on the DVD. I'm going to check it out!

John

Hi Jackie good to meet ya. I have had 12 knee surgeries over the years and pretty much know the AS knees as well as surgical complications from AS and knee surgeries. Yes, AS can mess with the knees, big time. I hope you stick around and get to know us. I would love to hear more from you
Cindy

Hi there. Yes I have this problem a lot lately but mine seems to stem from my knee not wanting to co-operate.
Not sure if you have this but I also find it hurts a lot in both my knee and my SI's when my foot is raised backwards. I had this happen the other week when my shoe caught the edge of a shops mat as I stepped forward with the other leg, the mat raised my left foot back towards my bottom. It was instant pain. I couldnt move for a number of minutes it was so bad.

I am going for an MRI on it this afternoon and will get the results next week unless I get them out of the radiographer today. Hehe I tend to worm it out of them.
Will let you and a few others know if anything shows up.

Trish
xx

Still waiting for the really dumb question!!

Phil

Hi Jackie,
There is no doubt in my mind that this is an AS problem. I have a problem putting on my socks and shoes because I can't bend. I also had my hips replaced, and even though they aren't a problem for me, my back still is.

Search Google Images for "Sock Aid" and "Sock Helper". They are inexpensive tools to help us put on socks. If you want to go the whole nine yards, there is something called "Hip Kit" that give us an assortment of tools to make our daily chores better. I have a hip kit that includes the sock aid. Awesome stuff, especially the reacher and sock aid.

Take care,
James