Arthritis Specialist

What causes arthritis?

Arthritis generally refers to a large group of conditions that cause joint inflammation but come from different causes. Among the different types, the two most common are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis develops over many years as you repeat the same joint movements. The ongoing wear and tear slowly breaks down the cartilage that protects the ends of the bones inside the joint.

As more cartilage wears down, the bones become exposed and rub together when you move. This leads to bone damage, inflammation, and bone spurs.

Osteoarthritis may develop in any joint, but it most often affects weight-bearing joints such as your knees and hips.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis begins when your immune system mistakenly attacks the synovial tissues lining the inside of a joint. As a result, the tissues become inflamed and damaged. Over time, the ongoing inflammation erodes the bones and causes joint deformities.

Rheumatoid arthritis begins in the small joints in your fingers, hands, toes, and feet. The condition may eventually progress to other joints. This condition also affects the same joint on both sides of your body.

What symptoms occur due to arthritis?

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis cause joint pain, stiffness, and limited movement. Rheumatoid arthritis may also cause swelling, warmth, and redness in the joint.

The inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis can spread to other parts of your body, including your skin, eyes, lungs, blood vessels, and heart.

How is arthritis treated? 

The team at Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine provides exceptional arthritis treatment that may include:

Physical therapy

The very best treatment for arthritis is to keep moving the joint. Exercise relieves the pain, reduces swelling, improves movement, and even slows down joint damage. 

The team at Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine understands that it’s hard to exercise when you have painful, stiff joints — that’s why they offer on-site physical therapy. They create exercise plans designed to fit your needs and help you stay healthy. 

Medications

The team offers steroid and hyaluronic acid injections for people with osteoarthritis. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, they prescribe disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to slow down joint damage and help put rheumatoid arthritis into remission. 

Joint reconstruction and replacement

Joint reconstruction restores normal joint function by repairing the damage inside the joint. However, if the joint damage is too extensive, you need a joint replacement to stop the pain and regain normal movement.

If you need expert care for arthritis, call Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, or book an appointment online today.