WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS?
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis degenerative joint disease, OA, or osteoarthrosis, is a form of arthritis caused by inflammation, breakdown, and the eventual loss of cartilage in the joints - the cartilage wears down over time. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis.
HOW WEIGHT IMPACTS OSTEOARTHRITIS?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent conditions resulting from obesity, and obesity is now recognized as an important modifiable risk factor for OA. It’s also a factor that can accelerate knee OA. Joints in your body’s lower half — particularly your knees and hips — bear most of your load. With OA, the cartilage “cushion” within the joints degenerates. Bones then rub against each other, causing irritation, pain and swelling. The more weight on the joint, the more wear and tear on the cartilage.
HOW CAN YOU REDUCE JOINT PAIN?
A few methods to reduce joint pain are:
- Losing weight and taking stress off your joints may ease your symptoms. While your body can’t reverse arthritis, or regrow cartilage, losing weight can help arthritic joints feel better and prevent further damage.
- Water exercises is a good option for those with joint pain. Swimming, water aerobics and walking laps are good options. In water your body floats, and you take much of the weight off your joints so moving them doesn’t hurt as much. Water also provides resistance that allows you to activate muscles without burdening your joints.
WHAT TO DO WHEN PAIN DOES NOT REDUCE?
For joint pain that doesn’t go away, both rheumatologists and pain medicine specialists offer treatments including:
- Anti-inflammatory medications. Pain-relief drugs can be taken by mouth or applied to the skin.
- Injections. If the pain is disabling, injecting corticosteroid (to decrease inflammation) or visco-supplementation into the joint may help. Viscosupplementation is similar to a lubricating gel that can be injected into the knee joint to help decrease pain with movement.
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This relatively new treatment for knee pain uses a special needle with a heating tip. When placed near the knee’s sensory nerves, the intense heat alters the nerves to stop them from transmitting pain. The procedure takes less than 30 minutes, it is an outpatient procedure in the doctor’s office, and it requires no recovery time. Patients can be pain-free for months or years.
HOW TO STOP JOINT PAIN EVEN BEFORE IT STARTS?
The best treatment for joint pain is stopping it before it starts. Protect your hips and knees for the long-term by lightening your load. If you need to weight, get moving now before moving gets you. Some ways to losing weight are:
- Know your body mass index (BMI)
- Know your waist circumference
- Participate in moderate physical activity
- Make dietary modifications as needed to lose weight
WHY KIMS?
At KIMS, one of the finest joint pain treatment in Hyderabad, is also the best place to get joint replacement surgery. Our joint replacement surgeon in Hyderabad, Dr. I.V. Reddy, has performed more hip surgeries and more knee replacements than any other hospital in Hyderabad.
Treatment is always personalized to the patient. The pain clinic also helps patients manage their pain with various conservative and non-conservative methods.