What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a chronic condition that causes tenderness and swelling in your joints. It often comes with older age. Two main types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, which gradually breaks down the joint, and rheumatoid arthritis, which causes your immune system to attack the joint lining.
What are the symptoms of arthritis?
If you have arthritis, you can experience the following symptoms:
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Joint pain
- Redness
- Warmth
- Joint deformities
- Reduced range of motion
Severe arthritis can affect your mobility, making it difficult to walk or even stand up straight. Arthritis can eventually become crippling, significantly reducing your quality of life.
What are the risk factors for arthritis?
Arthritis can develop in anybody, but certain things increase your risk of developing it. Examples include:
- Older age
- Family history of arthritis
- Obesity
- Previous joint injuries
- Poor diet and exercise habits
Living a healthy lifestyle reduces your risk of, and the severity of, arthritis.
How does my doctor diagnose arthritis?
To find out if you have arthritis and which kind you have, your Regenerative Orthopaedics and Spine Institute provider discusses your symptoms with you, reviews your medical history, and examines your joints. They often recommend that you undergo blood tests and an X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, or MRI to get a better picture of your joint health.
What are common arthritis treatments?
Your personalized arthritis treatment plan depends on how severe your condition is. Your specialist could recommend:
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes that often reduce arthritis symptoms include:
- Healthy weight management
- Eating healthy foods
- Getting regular exercise
- Applying heat or cold packs to painful joints
Medications
Taking arthritis medications can reduce pain, swelling, and the risk of further joint damage.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy stretches and exercises improve joint range of motion and strength while reducing stiffness and pain.
Injections
Epidural, steroid, and regenerative medicine injections can ease pain and reduce inflammation in damaged joints. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections use growth factors to improve your body’s natural healing ability.
Surgery
If nonsurgical treatments haven’t worked, your orthopedic specialist could recommend that you undergo surgery to repair, fuse, remove tissue from, or replace damaged joints.
If arthritis pain prevents you from participating in the activities you once enjoyed, call the Regenerative Orthopaedics and Spine Institute office nearest you or schedule an appointment online today.
