Understanding Arthritis Hey there! This is Dr Salam, I practice at the one care medical centre, an international orthopaedic hospital in Coimbatore. Our hospital offers among the most comprehensive medical management strategies for patients looking for arthritis treatment in Coimbatore. So, here is the thing, arthritis is a fairly common clinical condition that affects over 30% of individuals over 50 years of age. The typical symptom of arthritis is usually joint pain and stiffness that worsen with age. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage to break and eventually wear down. Arthritis can be caused by infections, accumulation of uric acid crystals, lupus or other underlying diseases.
Treatments of course depend on the condition/type of arthritis. Arthritis also runs in families. Diagnosing arthritis:The diagnosis of arthritis is done by a combination of blood tests, physical exam and imaging. During a physical exam your doctor will usually check for joint swelling, redness, warmth and of course the range of motions. Lab tests will usually include analyzing body fluids, like blood, urine and joint space fluid. Imaging is fairly straightforward and includes X-Rays, CT, MRI and Ultrasound. X-rays are usually highly capable and will show bone damage, spurs, bone loss. X-rays can also help track disease progression well.
Treating arthritis:The main objective of treating arthritis is of course to restore joint function and full mobility. Numerous medications are used for RA treatment. These include. Analgesics - These medications help reduce pain, but have no effect on inflammation. NSAIDS - these drugs again can reduce both pain and inflammation DMARDS - These drugs are among the best ones available to treat arthritis. These drugs effectively slow or stop your immune system. Corticosteroids - These category of drugs also have anti-inflammatory properties. They can be taken orally or can be injected directly into the joint. Physical therapy:- in some patient physical therapy may be of great benefit. For a few other patients where physical therapy does not significantly improve joint range of motion surgery may be sought out Joint repair - In some instances, these reparative procedures can be done arthroscopically to improve the joints range of motion. Joint replacement - this is a preferred mode of treatment, that can be done where joint replacement completely fails Joint fusion - This procedure can be used for smaller joints. Especially those of wrist, ankle and fingers. Joint fusion combines them into one single unit. Some patients may require a combination of treatments to improve joint ROM. In some others, simple therapies may work for a period of time before progressing on to more complex ones