I had no real conception before of OA. I feel for you. Here are my modest ideas on controlling the pain.

When I was experiencing lots of bad bad pain in my feet -- would ache from the moment I got out of bed -- I took aspirin every night. Aspirin (and Aleve - the little blue ones) are both good anti-inflammatories. Tylenol is a very strong pain reliever. Generic tylenol paired with an anti-inflammatory might help.

And some people swear by topical gels and creams that create a strong sensation of warmth. Don't know if it is counter-irritant or if it really does cause increased blood flow to our joints.

The other thing I am thinking is that PERHAPS part of the pain might be from muscle tensing when sleeping the cold? And that muscle spasm putting extra strain and pressure on the joints? Had our first coolish night a couple of days ago, and I had no blanket on the bed at all, and a fan blowing the cool air in at the window. Woke up with TERRIBLE achy muscles spams all over my body. One hip is still achy - and this is highly unusal for me.

Anyway, it it is muscle tensing and tightness, then maybe it is time for you to get an electric blanket. That kind of warmth would keep your body relaxed ... and just the relative warmth in general might be helpul.

Well, that's all I know for medicine.. But what I do know of injections, steroids and perscription anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants and pain relievers, I want to keep it simple as long as I can.

-Thersa