Procedures
After a course of injections you may enjoy several months of pain-free movement. One study found it as potent as high-dose Tylenol. Immediate pain or swelling is unlikely, but long-term effects still aren't known.
If pain and trouble moving simply don't subside, surgical joint repair using endoscopic techniques (called arthoscopy) is another option. Two or three small incisions are made around the joint and the surgeon fishes out bits of bone and damage cartilage. In a widely reported 2002 study, patients were just as likely to say their knee felt better two years after sham surgery as they were after an arthroscopic procedure. So talk it over with your doctor. Osteotomy may be an option if you have early-stage arthritis in one knee and no inflammation.
TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY
If you've exhausted other treatments, but join pain and disability persist, a total joint replacement (arthoplasty) may be your best option. Thanks to advances in surgical techniques and construction of the artificial joint, many recipients are happier--and living longer---after this type of surgery.
Hips and knees are the most commonly replaced joints, with ankles, feet, shoulders, elbows, and fingers done as well. This surgery requires anaesthesia. With the knee (see illustration), the surgeon removes the damaged ends of the bones and cartilage and inserts a metal-and-plastic substitute designed to restore normal knee movement. The joint surfaces are either cemented or the bones are allowed to grow through mesh surfaces to the replacements. With hips, the surgeon replaces the damaged the upper end of the femur--the ball with a metal one and attaches it to the rest of the leg bone. The damaged socket is replaced with a plastic one. Most replacement joint as 10 years, and some as long as 20. Complications include infection, blood clots and dislocation of the joint; discuss risks with your doctor.
your orthopaedic team will probably have you standing and walking the day after surgery; physiotherapy will follow. Temporary pain in the replaced joint is normal because your muscles will be weak from diuse. Exercise will help to counteract this as well as speed your recovery. The extent to which your new joint will improve your movement depends largely on how stiff you were before surgery. Although strenuous sports such as tennis aren't recommended, many people are thrilled to once again walk, dance and play golf effortlessly and without pain.
By surgically reshaping the shinebone or thighbone, a surgeon is often able to improve the alignment, acutally repositioning the joint so that your knee can once again move freely and carry your weight evenly. The knee can once again move freely and carry your weight evenly. The knee won't look symmetrical, but it may give you less pain. Osteotomy can also slow furthre deterioration.
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty may also ease pain and delay total knee replacement. Typically the inside of the knee usually bears most of the weight and becomes the mos damaged part of the joint. In unicompartmental knee arthroplasty the worn inner side of the knee is replaced while retaining the outer side of the knee and the kneecap. It's less likely to cause complications than osteotomy, and recovery is quick. As a last resort, if your pain's overwhelming and the joint is misshapen, consider a total joint replacement (arthroplasty). Success rate are high and techniques are improving all the time.
EVERY ADDITIONAL KILO OF BODY WEIGHT places from two or four kilos of extra stress on the knees and hips during routine movement.
A KNEE INJURY BEFORE AGE 22 results in a threefold increase in the incidence of arthritis (in the same knee). The age at which the old injury typically strikes back as arthritis: the mid-50s.
IN RUSSIA, BLOOD-SUCKING LEECHES are attached to pain trigger zones around joints to ease early morning stiffness and muscle pain, and increase range of motion. As the leeches suck blood through tiny incisions in their teeth, they also introduce saliva with analgesic and anaesthetic compounds.
NATURAL METHODS
Certain alternative therapies can be quite helpful for treating arthritis; every person is different, however,and what works for your neighbour may not be good for you---and vice versa. You may also
need to be a bit patient as it may take several weeks before you feel any true benefit from the treatments.
Many people report relief when they routinely take glucosamine and chondroitin, two dietary supplements widely advertised to help cartilage. Glucleosamine sulphate is extracted from shellfish; chondroitin sulphate from cattle. Veterinarians have used these supplements to treat OA in animals, and European rheumatologists prescribe them routinely. After years of scepticism, Australian doctors are now gaurdedly optimistic. Data from trials is mixed, but new evidence is appearing all the time. In the meantime, taking supplements may well help you--and it probably won't hurt.
Studies have shown approved relaxation therapies as a useful add-on treatment for arthritis. Stress and anxiety can tighten muscles around joints, worsening pain. Relaxation helps blunt this pain-and your perception of it--and enhances your capacity to cope. For biofeedback and hypnosis, an experienced therapist can show you how to do several techniques on your own. Deep breathing relaxes you through the process of inhaling deeply and rhythmically; it's often taught in yoga classes. During meditation, you focus on awareness of what you feel and what comes into your mind at a given moment. The gentle kneading of massage can loosen and stretch tight muscles, improving your flexibility.
There is also strong scientific evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief. Western scientists think that during this practice, used in china for 2500 years, the strategically inserted needles prompted the body to generate pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory compounds. Just make sure you go to an accredited practitioner.
After a course of injections you may enjoy several months of pain-free movement. One study found it as potent as high-dose Tylenol. Immediate pain or swelling is unlikely, but long-term effects still aren't known.
If pain and trouble moving simply don't subside, surgical joint repair using endoscopic techniques (called arthoscopy) is another option. Two or three small incisions are made around the joint and the surgeon fishes out bits of bone and damage cartilage. In a widely reported 2002 study, patients were just as likely to say their knee felt better two years after sham surgery as they were after an arthroscopic procedure. So talk it over with your doctor. Osteotomy may be an option if you have early-stage arthritis in one knee and no inflammation.
TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY
If you've exhausted other treatments, but join pain and disability persist, a total joint replacement (arthoplasty) may be your best option. Thanks to advances in surgical techniques and construction of the artificial joint, many recipients are happier--and living longer---after this type of surgery.
Hips and knees are the most commonly replaced joints, with ankles, feet, shoulders, elbows, and fingers done as well. This surgery requires anaesthesia. With the knee (see illustration), the surgeon removes the damaged ends of the bones and cartilage and inserts a metal-and-plastic substitute designed to restore normal knee movement. The joint surfaces are either cemented or the bones are allowed to grow through mesh surfaces to the replacements. With hips, the surgeon replaces the damaged the upper end of the femur--the ball with a metal one and attaches it to the rest of the leg bone. The damaged socket is replaced with a plastic one. Most replacement joint as 10 years, and some as long as 20. Complications include infection, blood clots and dislocation of the joint; discuss risks with your doctor.
your orthopaedic team will probably have you standing and walking the day after surgery; physiotherapy will follow. Temporary pain in the replaced joint is normal because your muscles will be weak from diuse. Exercise will help to counteract this as well as speed your recovery. The extent to which your new joint will improve your movement depends largely on how stiff you were before surgery. Although strenuous sports such as tennis aren't recommended, many people are thrilled to once again walk, dance and play golf effortlessly and without pain.
By surgically reshaping the shinebone or thighbone, a surgeon is often able to improve the alignment, acutally repositioning the joint so that your knee can once again move freely and carry your weight evenly. The knee can once again move freely and carry your weight evenly. The knee won't look symmetrical, but it may give you less pain. Osteotomy can also slow furthre deterioration.
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty may also ease pain and delay total knee replacement. Typically the inside of the knee usually bears most of the weight and becomes the mos damaged part of the joint. In unicompartmental knee arthroplasty the worn inner side of the knee is replaced while retaining the outer side of the knee and the kneecap. It's less likely to cause complications than osteotomy, and recovery is quick. As a last resort, if your pain's overwhelming and the joint is misshapen, consider a total joint replacement (arthroplasty). Success rate are high and techniques are improving all the time.
EVERY ADDITIONAL KILO OF BODY WEIGHT places from two or four kilos of extra stress on the knees and hips during routine movement.
A KNEE INJURY BEFORE AGE 22 results in a threefold increase in the incidence of arthritis (in the same knee). The age at which the old injury typically strikes back as arthritis: the mid-50s.
IN RUSSIA, BLOOD-SUCKING LEECHES are attached to pain trigger zones around joints to ease early morning stiffness and muscle pain, and increase range of motion. As the leeches suck blood through tiny incisions in their teeth, they also introduce saliva with analgesic and anaesthetic compounds.
NATURAL METHODS
Certain alternative therapies can be quite helpful for treating arthritis; every person is different, however,and what works for your neighbour may not be good for you---and vice versa. You may also
need to be a bit patient as it may take several weeks before you feel any true benefit from the treatments.
Many people report relief when they routinely take glucosamine and chondroitin, two dietary supplements widely advertised to help cartilage. Glucleosamine sulphate is extracted from shellfish; chondroitin sulphate from cattle. Veterinarians have used these supplements to treat OA in animals, and European rheumatologists prescribe them routinely. After years of scepticism, Australian doctors are now gaurdedly optimistic. Data from trials is mixed, but new evidence is appearing all the time. In the meantime, taking supplements may well help you--and it probably won't hurt.
Studies have shown approved relaxation therapies as a useful add-on treatment for arthritis. Stress and anxiety can tighten muscles around joints, worsening pain. Relaxation helps blunt this pain-and your perception of it--and enhances your capacity to cope. For biofeedback and hypnosis, an experienced therapist can show you how to do several techniques on your own. Deep breathing relaxes you through the process of inhaling deeply and rhythmically; it's often taught in yoga classes. During meditation, you focus on awareness of what you feel and what comes into your mind at a given moment. The gentle kneading of massage can loosen and stretch tight muscles, improving your flexibility.
There is also strong scientific evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for pain relief. Western scientists think that during this practice, used in china for 2500 years, the strategically inserted needles prompted the body to generate pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory compounds. Just make sure you go to an accredited practitioner.
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