The most prevalent type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It takes a long time to develop and is most common in middle age. Consult Dr. Saurabh Talekar, an Orthopedic Surgeon in Kandivali.
Osteoarthritis:
All our joints are protected by a soft bone called the cartilage. Synovial fluid acts as a lubricant between the bone and the cartilage. As you enter your 40s or somewhere near, the joints and the lubricants have all diminished due to wear and tear. We start experiencing pain in our joints since the cartilage can no longer absorb shock well, neither can it move smoothly since the lubricant has also deteriorated. This painful condition is called osteoarthritis.
The most prevalent type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. It takes a long time to develop and is most common in middle age.
Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, several therapeutic choices can help people manage their pain and stay active.
Dr. Saurabh Talekar, an orthopedic doctor in Kandivali, talks about its symptoms and what you can do regularly to manage them.
Dr, Saurabh Talekar is the founder and director of Wholistic Healthcare Centre and specializes in minimally invasive surgeries such as arthroplasty.
His field of expertise is hip and knee joint replacements.
You can consult him through Clinicspots.com, practo.com, lybrate.com, and many well-known healthcare portals.
Symptoms:
Osteoarthritis may distress any joint in the entire body. Starting from the spine to the last toe or feet, it can affect every joint. But the majorly affected joints are the ones that bear the maximum weight of the body.
It means that your hip joint, knees, and ankles are at maximum risk.
The typical symptoms are: pain in the joints, cracking and creaking sounds during movement.
Swelling and inflammation render the stiffness to the joint, making it unbearably painful.
It’s possible that the joint will stiffen and appear bloated, enlarged, or “out of joint.” Over time, a bump may form on the joint.
Fingers with arthritis
You may notice bone growth on the little finger. You will find it difficult to flex the joints and rotate them. As a result, you will lose mobility.
The smooth mobility of a joint can be hampered by loose cartilage fragments. It’s possible that the joint will “stick” or lock. It may make creaking, clicking, snapping, or grinding sounds (crepitus). Weight-bearing joints such as the knee and ankle may bend and give way as an arthritic joint weakens.
Although osteoarthritis is incurable, early detection and treatment can help retain joint mobility, ease pain, and enhance function.
Examination by a physician:
Even though osteoarthritis is incurable, it is possible to retain the joints’ ability to move and bear weight if detected early.
Consult with Doctor Saurabh Talekar, an orthopaedist in Kandivali, for a Check-up and treatment plan.
The doctor will need your medical history, which he will back up with physical examination, x-rays, and maybe laboratory testing for accurate diagnoses of your condition.
Medical Background:
When you go for a consult, your doctor is likely to ask you questions pertaining to
past joint injuries,
is the pain localized to 1 joint or all joints?
Is it time relevant as in does it worsen by nightfall,
Does it aggravate with some particular activity?
Or is it associated with keeping a particular joint immobile for long
Examination of the body:
The injured joint will then be examined in various positions to discover if there is any pain or restricted motion. He’ll listen for sounds while moving the joint as cracks and grinds (crepitus), which are signs of bone-on-bone friction. Atrophy of the muscles and indication of other joints also getting affected. He or she will examine the Ligaments, muscles, and tendons for signs of an injury.
X-rays
X-rays can reveal the extent of damage in your joint, including bone thinning or erosion, joint constriction, excess fluid in the joint, and bone spurs or other abnormalities. It can help your doctor in accurately diagnosing the type of arthritis.
Tests in the lab
Other disorders that cause symptoms similar to osteoarthritis can sometimes be ruled out with laboratory procedures, such as blood tests.
Treatment
Nonsurgical treatment:
Bringing about changes in your lifestyle and medication and physiotherapy can improve joint function and reduce pain.
Changing Your Way of Life
If you have already been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, the doctor will advise you to shift from high-intensity physical activities to low-intensity workouts to keep your joints flexed and without swelling. You may require to lose weight if your weight-bearing joints are affected.
Medications
Your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for your swellings or maybe inject your joints with corticosteroids to provide quick relief, based on how severe your condition is.
He may also prescribe some supplements for better joint health.
Physical Therapy
A well-balanced fitness program, physical therapy, and/or occupational therapy may help to improve flexibility, range of motion, pain relief, and joint strength. You may need joint support devices like a brace, elastic bandage, splint, crutches, cane, or walker. Use hot and cold pads for joint pain relief and reducing inflammation.
Surgical Intervention
If nonsurgical treatments do not relieve the discomfort or become ineffective, surgery may be considered. The patient’s age and amount of activity, the state of the afflicted joint, and the extent to which osteoarthritis has advanced all factor into the decision to treat surgically.
Arthroscopy, osteotomy, joint fusion, and joint replacement are surgical options for osteoarthritis.
Arthroscopy
To remove bone spurs, cysts, damaged lining, or loose fragments in the joint, a surgeon uses a pencil-sized, flexible, fiber optic tool (arthroscope) to make two or three small incisions.
Osteotomy
To relieve pressure on the joint, the long bones of the arm or leg are straightened.
Fusion of the joints
A surgeon removes the joint by fusing the ends of the bones together (fusion). Bones may be held in place using pins, plates, screws, or rods while they recover. The flexibility of the joint is lost during this surgery.
Replacement of a joint
A surgeon removes sections of the bones and replaces them with metal or plastic components to construct an artificial joint (total joint replacement or arthroplasty).
