What is Osteoarthritis?
Your primary care physician diagnosed you with Osteoarthritis and now you’re wondering, “what is that?” More importantly, what are your options?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition in adults that results from the progressive wearing down of your joint tissue. This process is not to be confused with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), which is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the joints. Arthritis, at its root, is simply inflammation of a joint. Osteoarthritis happens when the soft tissue lining the bones starts to erode over time, leading to the surfaces of the bones rubbing on each other. This can happen with any joint, but it is most common in the knee and low back.
What Are The Signs Of Osteoarthritis?
As we get older, our ability to retain water decreases, which results in a smaller joint space. Excessive exercise, poor hydration, or laxity of the ligaments can accelerate this development. Common symptoms associated with OA include stiffness, dull and aching pains, grinding in the joint, and pain that is typically worse in the morning. These pains can make completing daily activities challenging and laborious, leaving people asking what they can do to mitigate.
As stated earlier, OA is a progressive condition. This means that the wearing down of tissue can only be slowed, not stopped. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that interventions will be targeting your pain level and physical fitness rather than the actual healing potential.
Can Physical Therapy Treat Osteoarthritis?
Physical therapy is a great initial start for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Physical therapy will focus on maintaining and improving your mobility while also targeting your strength. When your joint stiffens, so do your muscles. It is important to keep your body stretched and strengthened. A licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy will help direct you on how to do so in the clinic and at home.
Are There Other Nonsurgical Treatments for Osteoarthritis?
Cortisone (steroid) injections are another non surgical method that you may hear your physician recommend. These injections are delivered into the joint space and designed to mitigate pain and decrease inflammation. While these normally do a good job at stifling your pain, it is important to know that there is no healing happening and that it is likely your pain will return.
Can I Get Surgery for Osteoarthritis?
Surgery is another option. Let’s take the knee, for example. Depending on how far progressed the arthritis is, the medical team may recommend a total knee arthroplasty (TKA), more commonly known as a knee replacement. This process involves lining the bony surfaces with artificial hardware to simulate the movement of a joint. As with any foreign entity, the body’s immune system will naturally reject the hardware at first, which will lead to increased swelling and inflammation. Physical therapy is the standard rehabilitation protocol following a joint replacement. The length of time for recovery is different depending on the joint, the individual receiving the surgery, and the surgeon’s instructions. Should you get to this point, it is best to discuss this all with your medical team.
Manage Osteoarthritis Early On!
Overall, osteoarthritis is nothing to be afraid of, and there are plenty of routes that one can take to manage it best. It is very important that you are paying attention to your health and checking in with your healthcare providers. If you are feeling symptoms associated with OA or if your daily activity is limited by joint pain, we have 5 convenient physical therapy clinics in Arizona ready to serve you. Contact us today to get started on your journey to living and feeling better- pain free!
References:
Berenbaum F, Walker C. Osteoarthritis and inflammation: a serious disease with overlapping phenotypic patterns. Postgrad Med. 2020 May;132(4):377-384. doi: 10.1080/00325481.2020.1730669. Epub 2020 Feb 26. PMID: 32100608.
Wood MJ, Miller RE, Malfait AM. The Genesis of Pain in Osteoarthritis: Inflammation as a Mediator of Osteoarthritis Pain. Clin Geriatr Med. 2022 May;38(2):221-238. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2021.11.013. PMID: 35410677; PMCID: PMC9053380.
