Treatment for Osteoarthritis – Pain in Joints

In our setting is very common to find people with joint pain commonly called “arthritis” pain accusing addition, some stiffness in certain joints. This disease usually appears in middle age. Before age 55, the disease occurs equally in both sexes. However, after 55 years is more common in women.

Osteoarthritis causes wear on the cushioning (cartilage) between the bone joints, causing pain and stiffness. As the disease worsens, the cartilage disappears and the bones rub together. If you have osteoarthritis if you experience pain in some joints, which worsens when the weather is rainy, after exercise, supporting a weight and relieved when resting. You may notice swelling in some joints, cracks and limited movement of the same, and stiffness on rising.

The treatment of the disease includes medication to relieve pain, maintain or improve joint mobility, increase joint strength and reduce the disabling effects of the disease. Specific treatment will depend on the damaged joints. Exercise is important because it helps maintain joint and overall mobility. We recommend swimming or water exercises. Also recommended heat treatments and cold, joint protection, use of self-help devices and rest.

Symptomatic analgesic treatment is essential and not infrequently the only thing offered to the patient from the view medication. Absolutely must always come into play Additional measures such as rest, physical activity organization, specific exercises for the affected region, correction postures, physical medicine, rehabilitation, adaptation occupational, correction of body overweight when she was above, measures orthotics (splints, canes, crutches, corsets, etc), surgery (local or intra-articular injections, arthroscopic procedures, partial or total prosthesis, arthrodesis and others). In short, the treatment relies on multiple measures in the hands of the general practitioner or specialist rheumatologist, orthopedist, physical therapist, endocrinologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon and other possibilities. In recent years we have worked about the possibility of regenerating the cartilage or prevent harm articular without definite results yet, there are already some encouraging data in this way.

Equally important to good nutrition and careful weight control. If you are overweight, losing weight will reduce the stress on your knees and ankles. Physical therapy may be used to improve muscle strength and movement of stiff joints. Therapists have many techniques for treating osteoarthritis, but if the therapy does not make an improvement after 3 to 6 weeks, then you probably will not work.