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Treatment Of OsteoarthritisOsteoarthritis treatment is aimed at the processes that are thought to cause this problem. Osteoarthritis may happens due to both mechanical (wear-and-tear) and biologic (breakdown and repair of joint cartilage) processes. After the physician conduct an examination, he/she will need to do an x-ray to confirm the diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Based on the examination, the doctor will help to choose the best treatment. Treatments for osteoarthritis are directed at controlling the inflammatory response and maximizing body's ability to compensate for the damaged joint. Among others, medication with drugs is not really important. Some of the treatments aimed at controlling this inflammation from osteoarthritis are: • Anti-Inflammatory Medications Anti-inflammatory medications, also called NSAIDs, are oral medications that help control the cycle of inflammation and relieve pain. • Cortisone Injections Cortisone injections also help control inflammation. Cortisone is a substance that is naturally produced in your body by the adrenal gland. An injection of synthetic cortisone can be helpful at providing a very high does of anti-inflammatory medication directly to the affected joint. Some other treatments are more useful for Osteoarthritis: • Physical Therapy Physical therapy is used to strengthen the muscles around the joint affected by osteoarthritis. By doing so, the muscles can support more of the forces around the joint, placing less of a burden on the cartilage and bone. It may also help to maintain cartilage health and to improve the joint to be more movable. • Activity Modification Limiting certain activities may be necessary, and learning new exercise methods may be helpful. • Weight Loss Weight loss if often very difficult, but it can be the most effective step in controlling the pain associated with arthritis. Weight loss decreases the burden the joint must carry, especially with the hips, knees, and feet. Patients with osteoarthritis of the lower extremity who are able to lose weight almost always have symptoms relief. • Diet The effect of changing diet has a relation with obesity that is the risk factor for developing osteoarthritis. A person with osteoarthritis who loses weight usually experiences significant improvement of clinical symptoms. Specific diets have been studied, but little has been proven. In small studies, antioxidants have been shown to decrease the progression of osteoarthritis, but they have not been proven in longer studies, and they have not been shown to change the overall incidence of osteoarthritis. Vitamin D has also been shown to decrease progression of osteoarthritis. These data suggest that diet may be important in preventing progression of the disease, but other factors may be more important in primary prevention. Source: about.com |
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