What is Osteoarthritis?

Arthritis is the medical term used to describe swelling and pain in our joints. The inflammation can develop in any joint including shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees, ankles, back as well as other articulations. The inflammation causes a degeneration of the joints and the protective layer of tissue which is refer to as cartilage.

When the cartilage starts to degenerative and break down, the joints become stiff, painful and swollen. As arthritis progresses, it begins to give patient symptoms of reduced movement, catching, clicking, functional limitations that can affect the patient’s quality of life.

Because of this, osteoarthritis is the most common cause of joint disease worldwide and the leading cause of disability in the world. It is estimated that 10 % of men and 13% of woman older than 60 years old suffer from arthritis with an increasing incidence on a yearly basis.

Osteoarthritis is also commonly referred to as “wear and tear” of our joints, as the cartilage wears out or degenerates, the joints begin to develop inflammation and symptoms. As the disease progresses and becomes more advanced, it is referred to as “bone on bone” arthritis.

Are there other forms of Arthritis?

Yes, although osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint inflammation, there are other form of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis, Juvenile arthritis, infectious arthritis, Gout, psoriatic arthritis and other rheumatological problems that causes joint inflammation.

It is extremely important to confirm which type of arthritis the patient has as the treatment differs depending on the type of arthritis.

Which Physician should you see for Osteoarthritis?

Although a well-trained primary care physician can help you diagnose the different types of arthritis. The specialist that concentrate on osteoarthritis treatments are usually orthopedics and sports medicine doctors. Rheumatologist are better equipped to treat rheumatological causes of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis or gout. An infectious disease doctor would be the better option if you have infectious arthritis.

What can I do to prevent Osteoarthritis?

The best thing to do is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise at least 30 minutes per day three to five days a week, combining a cardiovascular and weight based balanced protocol. Preferable avoiding impactful exercises like excessive jumping, running. An emphasis should be made in strengthening the surrounding muscles of the joints.

Eating a healthy diet has also been associated with a risk reduction and can help in reducing systemic inflammation that makes arthritis worse.

A lot of emphasis is being placed on orthobiologics and using cellular/biological products in an attempt to prevent the progression of arthritis. There have been some positive early studies linking Platelets Rich Platelets (PRP) and Stem Cells to osteoarthritis treatments.

How to treat Osteoarthritis?

The goal of treatment is to provide relief of the symptoms caused by the inflammation. As there are no cures for osteoarthritis, the different treatment options focus on reducing pain and improving quality of life.

Activity modification and exercise is always the primary modality implemented in the treatment algorithm.

Anti-inflammatory medication, either natural or prescription based non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) can help patients in  controlling the symptoms  at a short term. Patients should always consult with the specialist when taking NSAIDS as these medications have potential side effects.

Typical NSAIDS used are Aleve, Ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil, Motrin, diclofenac, meloxicam, Mobic, diclofenac, Voltaren, Celebrex and others.

Injections can also help patients by reducing the inflammation and removing the excess fluid or edema inside the joints.  One of the injections most commonly used are Corticosteroid or steroid injections. These injections can provide a faster relieve of the patient’s symptoms while lasting on average 2-4 months of relief. Other injections that can provide short to midterm relief are Hyaluronic Acid injections also referral to as gel or lubricant injections. These injectable can help patient’s symptoms on an average of 6 months to 1 year.

One of the most promising injections now are orthobiologics products. Using the patient’s own cells to reduce the inflammation while getting the joint to repair and regenerate while using PRP and stem cells.

Another treatment option that can help certain patients is arthroscopy surgery, sometimes referred to as “clean out” of the joint. Arthroscopy surgery is performed by using small camaras to look inside the articulation and perform the surgery without having to cut open the patient.

The ultimately treatment for osteoarthritis is total joint replacement. This is a more aggressive surgery performed when the joint  is worn down. An orthopedic surgeons cuts open the joint and removes  the articulation while replacing it with  a metal and plastic implant.

If you have knee pain, shoulder pain , hip pain or any other form of orthopedic problems and would like to find out if arthritis is your problem, contact Dr. Jorge Gonzalez for a specialized detailed evaluation and personalized treatment plan to get you back to what you love doing.