What is arthritis?
Arthritis isn’t a single condition. It’s a blanket term that applies to more than 100 joint diseases.
The most common types of arthritis are:
- Rheumatoid arthritis — autoimmune disorder where your body attacks healthy joint tissue
- Osteoarthritis — wear and tear of protective cartilage due to overuse or aging
- Gout — inflammation caused by uric crystals in joints, especially the big toe
- Psoriatic arthritis — complication of the skin condition psoriasis
Rarely, you could develop arthritis as a complication of an infection. All forms of arthritis make your joints stiff and painful.
Why should I treat my arthritis?
Whether you have rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or another type, your joints are being destroyed by inflammation. Inflammation is an important stage in healing, but when it persists for long periods of time, it stresses and degrades your cartilage and other tissues. Treating your arthritis subdues inflammation, allowing your joints to rest and recover.
What are some arthritis treatments?
Depending on the type and severity of your arthritis, Dr. Absi may recommend starting with lifestyle adjustments that take the stress off your joints and improve your overall health.
Treatment recommendations could include:
- Losing weight
- Eating more vegetables and whole foods
- Eliminating processed foods and trans fats
- Avoiding sugar (including fruit juice)
- Avoiding red meats and alcohol (if you have gout)
- Exercising more
- Physical therapy
- Arthroscopic knee replacement
Some women and men with arthritis become inactive because their joints are too stiff and painful to move comfortably. However, inactivity makes your arthritis worse. When you move your joints, they produce a lubricating liquid called synovial fluid, which lessens friction and nourishes your joint tissues.
Physical therapy (PT) strengthens the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support your joints, taking pressure off the bones and cartilage. It also strengthens your core, so that you have better posture and move more efficiently. Finally, PT encourages you to move your joints to keep them flexible and healthy.
What is arthroscopic knee replacement?
If your joint is severely damaged and other treatments don’t restore mobility and reduce pain, Dr. Absi may recommend arthroscopic joint replacement. Using small incisions, he removes degraded bone and damaged cartilage from your knee with the aid of a miniature camera that sends a magnified, 3-D image to a monitor. He then resurfaces your joints with metal plates and inserts a plastic spacer, so your knee moves freely and comfortably again.
To get arthritis treatments for pain-free joints, contact Orthopaedics of Atlanta and Aesthetic Institute by phone or through the online form.
