Treatment Options for Arthritis Patients

Arthritis can show itself as a dull ache, a sharp pain or a grip on your joints. It is the leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. It is important to know what the disease is, its causes and treatment options.

Causes

Arthritis can be the result of different causes, such as –

• Age related wear and tear of articular cartilage
• Injury that leads to degenerative arthritis
• Abnormal metabolism that leads to gout and pseudo gout
• Infections like Lyme disease
• Immune system dysfunction

Symptoms

The symptoms of arthritis can also vary greatly. It can progress gradually or suddenly. It is a chronic disease and if you experience the following symptoms, it’s time to have a discussion with your doctor.

• Difficulty moving your joints, such as while getting up from a chair
• Constant, intermittent or universal pain
• Joint swelling, redness, tenderness
• Feeling of stiffness after rest or exercise

Treatment and Pain Management

Arthritis cannot be cured so the treatment focuses on managing pain, minimizing damage to joints and improving the patient’s quality of life.

Treatment options may include –

• Medication
• Lifestyle modification
• Weight loss
• Orthopedic Bracing
• Steroid injections
• Hyaluronic Acid Injections
• Regenerative therapies, such as PRP and Stem Cell Injections
• Surgery to replace joints

Medications used to treat arthritis pain include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and topical creams. A nutrient-rich diet of fish, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains may be recommended too, along with regular exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can aggravate pain for arthritis patients, due to additional pressure on joints. Supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin may be recommended.

Patients with moderate arthritis can benefit from physical therapy and strengthening exercises, braces, knee supports or shoe inserts. These can protect the joint from further stress.

Interventional pain management techniques, such as steroid and hyaluronic injections can help to relieve inflammation and pain in cases of mild arthritis.

In cases of severe arthritis, osteotomy or bone realignment surgery can be done to cut the bone and realign it for less stress on the joint. Knee osteotomy can protect the knee by shifting the weight of the body away from the site of the bone spur growth and bone damage.

For severe cases, total knee replacement or arthroplasty may be advised. During this surgical procedure, the damaged joint is removed and replaced with a plastic or metal prosthesis device. Recovery from such a surgery requires several weeks and continuous physical therapy and rehabilitation to regain full mobility.

If you are suffering from joint pain, contact an orthopedic surgeon right away.

If you are looking for an experienced orthopedic bracing specialist or one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Phoenix, call Phoenix Shoulder and Knee at 480-219-3342.

Phoenix Shoulder & Knee
1215 W Rio Salado Parkway
Suite 105, Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 219-3342

This release was published on openPR.