Our Consultant Physiotherapist in MSK Ultrasound & MSK Medicine Suresh discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment options for Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is described as experiencing symptoms like pain, inflammation and stiffness within the joint. This is one of 200 different types of musculoskeletal conditions.
Pain can originate in the joints for different reasons such as ´wear and tear ‘of life’s daily activities and is seen as a degenerative condition.
However, one of the most common causes of osteoarthritis is diagnosed when pain and swelling or inflammation occurs due to breakdown of cartilage between the joint.
How to diagnose the common causes of osteoarthritis early?
- Know your History
Osteoarthritis can be hereditary. Of course keep in mind that lifestyle choices can play a big part of the common causes for osteoarthritis.
- Age is not just a number
As you grow older, you are more prone to encounter osteoarthritis. Is there a way to ease the ageing process? That would be dependent on your weight control, nutrition and activities.
- Extreme sports
For those sport fans who are into extreme sports, a negative side effect to their devoted sports passion is the development of osteoarthritis. As you engage into a high impact sport, the overused joints in your body are under immense pressure and in some instances the cartilage can deteriorate within the joint.
- Traumatic experiences
The body may also be prone to osteoarthritis in the event of the body experiencing a traumatic event. A traumatic event is anything that causes an immense stress and pressure or fracture to the bones.
Symptoms and Causes
A patient may experience a flare up of symptoms due to specific trigger. The trigger factor could range from different reasons such as weather, sports, impact etc. Each patient may a have a different trigger factor which could resurface the symptoms or. By a process of elimination, the patient and consultant can determine the trigger factor, in order to avoid future reoccurrences.
What is the Ideal Treatment?
There are a number of treatment options that we can offer here at the clinic.
> Option 1: Conservative treatment: Lifestyle Choices
The baseline advice that Suresh Sudula gives patients, is to evaluate their food habits, weight control, extreme sports habits that may lead to flare ups.
Making different lifestyle modifications can be tough sometimes without the knowledge base.
> Option 2: Conservative treatment: Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is one of the most commonly advised treatments to strengthen the muscles. Whilst taking physiotherapy sessions, you will be advised on specific techniques to reduce the pain, improve the joint function and prevent disability.
> Option 3: Medication to Pain Killers
Symptoms can also be managed by taking over the counter medications and anti inflammatory, however we strongly advice to consult a GP prior to taking any medication.
> Option 4: Injections- steroid and hyalnuric acid (HA)
Corticosteroids hs been used to reduce the short-term pain associated with osteoarthritis, this can range from 4 to 6 months, the maximum steroid injection is 3 times a year. Akthough there is a short term release, it may lead long term joint deterioriation. HA is more commonly administered across the body for pain relieve and it is a choice of treatments for patients with known diabetes as corticosteroids (Cortisone or steroid injection) can raise blood sugar levels.
> Option 5: Orthobiologics treatment
Orthobiologics increase the speed of healing in tendons and injuries by products made from substances that are naturally found in your body.
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections is a new effective treatment option under where a patient’s blood is used to separate concentrated PRP substances for injection. This will then be interjected under ultrasound guided injections into the affected area. This is a recommended treatment, which is administered with affordable prices by Suresh from Kent MSK Clinic.
Stem cells treatment harnesses the ‘natural repair cells removed from your own body fat to target problems affecting the tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles, including osteoarthritis’
> Option 6: Surgical management.
Patients are recommended joint replacement, as a last option, if the previous options were unsuccessful.
For more information on these options click here to visit the The Kent Musculoskeletal Clinic