Orthopedic Treatment for Arthritis
- Posted on: May 30 2021
Arthritis can leave your joints stiff and painful. You may find that you simply can’t enjoy many of your hobbies and other activities like you once did. Fortunately, an orthopedic surgeon can help alleviate or at least decrease some of this pain and stiffness. These experts understand how to diagnose, treat, and repair damage to the muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments. This includes arthritis.
Do You Need Surgery?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, and many treatment options simply reduce the pain temporarily. This doesn’t mean your only option is to have surgery. However, it does mean that you will need to learn how to properly manage your arthritis. This is typically the first type of orthopedic treatment. The orthopedic expert will determine how bad your arthritis is and work with you to treat it. This may include using heat or cold, resting regularly, doing specific exercises, taking corticosteroid injections, or doing physical therapy.
Typically, arthritis does progress. Over time, you may find that the wear on your joints makes treatment options that once worked very well no longer as effective. In that case, it may be time for surgery.
What Are Your Surgical Options?
There are two main surgical options for arthritis. The first is joint reconstruction or repair. Here, the surgeon may remove damaged and defective tissue, may reshape the joint sockets, or use other methods to smooth out the area so your joint moves more easily. This is often successful for those who have mild to moderate arthritis.
However, for severe arthritis, joint replacement may be the only real option. Here, the arthritic bone is removed and replaced with an artificial joint. This does remove the arthritis from that joint. However, since arthritis is a progression disease, it is possible you will develop arthritis elsewhere. You won’t suffer any stiffness or pain in the replaced joint, though.
While surgery is an option, you will want to carefully consider all of the pros and cons. It can take quite some time to recover, and you will need physical therapy before you can fully return to your regular activities. It’s also possible for your body to reject the artificial joint.
If you’re dealing with arthritis, it helps to have an experienced medical professional on your side. The team here at Maximum Orthopedics can help you determine the best way of treating your arthritis. Contact us today to make an appointment.
Posted in: Blog, Orthopedics, Work Injuries