Non-Surgical and Surgical Treatment of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis can happen in any joint in the body. And whether it’s your hips, knees, shoulders, elbows or ankles, it’s not a comfortable thing to live with. Fortunately, there are a variety of treatments that can help reduce pain and make movement easier.

What is arthritis?

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage protecting the bone at a joint begins to wear away. Over time, more and more cartilage wears away until eventually there’s nothing left. This can happen because of overuse, injury, infection, disease, or other unknown factors. The result is serious damage to the joints.

Osteoarthritis causes an achy pain in the joint. It may come and go, get better or worse with the weather, get worse during periods of unuse, or be worse in the morning and get better throughout the day. It also may cause a loss in some degree of motion because of the formation of bone spurs on the joint.

“Depending on what joint is arthritic, certain activities may bother you less or more,” shares Nicholas Doman, DO, with ProMedica Physicians Orthopaedic Surgery – Adrian. “For example, if your knee is what bothers you, you may have pain with climbing stairs or kneeling. If it’s your hip, you may struggle to put on your socks or shoes.”

Treatment of Arthritis

The only way to get rid of arthritis entirely is to have orthopaedic surgery. In this surgery, they would perform a joint replacement on the affected joints.

However, Dr. Doman always suggests trying a variety of non-surgical treatments before proceeding with joint replacement surgery. Many people have success in using non-surgical treatments to manage arthritis pain.

Non-Surgical Treatment of Arthritis

“Always start with conservative treatment methods when you can. If certain activities are causing you arthritic pain, modify them where you’re able,” Dr. Doman explains.

If activity modification is no longer helpful or not possible, an orthopaedic surgeon may recommend these non-surgical treatment options:

• Taking anti-inflammatory medications daily. These medications can help reduce inflammation, resulting in less pain.
• Losing weight. Every pound you lose equates to three to five pounds of pressure off your weight-bearing joints.
• Getting cortisone or gel injections in the affected joint(s). Cortisone shots reduce the inflammation of the joint, which can help with pain. Gel injections lubricate the joint and stimulate the joint to produce lubrication on its own.
• Trying physical therapy. This may help strengthen the muscles around the joint.
• Bracing the joint. Some joints are able to be braced, which may provide additional support and pain relief.

“These methods won’t cure arthritis. Arthritis will still progress even with these methods in play. But they typically do significantly improve your quality of life,” Dr. Doman shares.

Surgical Treatment of Arthritis

If your arthritis gets to a point where it is no longer manageable with non-surgical options, joint replacement may be recommended. Joint replacement involves cutting away the arthritic joint and replacing it with a new metal or plastic joint.

“After surgery, any pain from the arthritis will immediately be gone,” shares Dr. Doman. “However, it’s important to remember that there will be pain from the surgery, and recovery can take anywhere from six months to a year.”

Dr. Doman recommends that all patients consider less invasive, non-surgical options first. “These options are less risky and require little to no recovery time.”

Every patient is different, so it’s important to seek the advice of an orthopaedic surgeon. They can help you map out a plan that fits your wants, needs and lifestyle.

Nicholas Doman, DO
Dr. Doman is an orthopaedic surgeon with ProMedica Physicians Orthopaedic Surgery - Adrian. View his profile.