Osteoarthritis: Not just a knee problem

By Jason Caldwell and Anthony A. Meador

Osteoarthritis (OA) also known as degenerative joint disease or wear-out disease, is the most common form of arthritis. There are only two types of people over 40, those that have early morning joint stiffness that lasts about an hour or so after getting out of bed and joint pain that is increased by prolonged activity that decreases with rest, and those that are waiting for symptoms. The facts are that Osteoarthritis begins somewhere between 20 and 40 years of age and begins to produce symptoms between 40 and 60 years of age. Risk factors include age, obesity, gravity, prior trauma or inflammatory disease to the joints, genetics, and repetitive activities, along with metabolic, neurologic, and hematologic processes.

Osteoarthritis is caused by the cartilage that protects the bone ends from rubbing against each other, wearing them down, and causing potholes. This wear mostly happens in weight-bearing joints such as the knees or hips, but also occurs in the thumbs, fingers, feet, cervical and lumbar spine. Over time weightbearing activities such as rising from a seated position to standing, going up and down stairs, walking, prolonged standing, or changing activity level can cause discomfort. In the knee, 70 percent of the symptoms occur on the inside or medial joint and can progress to the lateral joint as well as the knee cap. As OA develops in the cervical or lumbar spine you may develop neuropathy or radiculopathy due to nerve compression. Symptoms of hip involvement may include groin or buttock pain that travels to the knee which can cause overuse of the non-effected side leading to increased discomfort. In the hands OA may be indicated by deformities in the proximal and distal finger joints, also contracture or deformity of the hand may occur along with possible joint fusion if there is good news OA of the hands does not always result in total disability.

How does one prevent osteoarthritis?

First up are the old standbys of diet and exercise. Achieving normal body weight, having extra fluff increases the stress on the weight-bearing joints by four pounds for every pound over normal body weight. Weight reduction also decreases the risk of developing OA in the hands. Lack of exercise decreases the hydration of the joint cartilage and decreases the distribution of nutrients to the affected areas. Include low-impact, moderateintensity exercise in daily activities. Second, discuss with your primary care provider the possible use of nutritional supplements such as antioxidants. The Framingham Osteoarthritis Cohort Study concluded that vitamin C may reduce risk of cartilage loss and progression of OA.

What is the medical management for OA? There are NSAID’s (Advil, Aleve) that we all reach for, however, there is a study completed by the department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California that indicates the use of OTC pain medication could make arthritic knee pain worse. The researchers found that cartilage composition was worse in NSAID users than in the control group. There are topical therapies such as Voltaren Gel and Capsaicin Cream. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Opioids are used but not first line and not appropriate for long-term management. Intra-articular injections are used for moderate to severe OA. The types of intra-articular injections are cortisone, hyaluronate, or platelet-rich plasma. All can reduce pain short term; none provide significant long-term benefits. When function is severely limited a surgical option may provide a return to daily activities.

Laser therapy is also an effective way to reduce the pain and inflammation that are associated with osteoarthritis if you are seeking an alternative to medications and or surgery. Deep tissue laser therapy promotes the body’s natural processes for reducing inflammation and decreasing pain with none of the side effects of medications. Treatments are painless, and most patients feel the effects right away. The reduction of symptoms after the course of treatment lasts longer than most other non-surgical treatments including cortisone injections.

There are several treatment options for OA as discussed to prevent further joint damage and minimize pain and inflammation. Consider deep tissue laser therapy as one of those options.

By Dr. Alexandar

Imagine this: You work for 45 years of your life. You save your pennies to retire at a reasonable age. You pick up new hobbies such as pickleball, golf, or even just playing cards. Towards the end of your career, you realize that snow and cold weather is a ‘young person’s’ thing and not yours anymore.

You do what most people from the cold states do… plan on spending plenty of time in the warmer climates as soon as you retire!

Along comes retirement, and you now decide to buy a winter home in sunny Arizona. Now instead of spending winters indoors in a dark and cold house, only going outside to remove the snow that you are mandated to remove and watching the cars and people slip and slide down your street, you get to spend them shoveling sunshine!

You now get to get outside and get some Vitamin D! Do you want to take a dip in the pool in January? Go right ahead! Meet friends for a cocktail hour on the patio? Be my guest! Go show off your latest swing technique that is guaranteed to get you 10 extra yards on your drive?

Go do it! Being able to come down to your winter home is an absolute blessing that you may have taken for granted until this year. Or did it start last year and now it is getting worse? Who can remember nowadays?

All you know is that you have now developed pain that is making your time in Arizona less enjoyable. You are staying in your dark house with the shades drawn, not attending those happy hours, and even dreading having to hear your friends tell you about how well they are golfing or how they have been winning all of the card games (which we know they wouldn’t if you were playing) all because you feel you can’t participate anymore because of the pain.

If you ask me, that’s no way to spend a winter. You have earned the right to come down here after all those years of working hard!

Don’t let pain ruin your winter plans! Let our orthopedic experts help you get on the path of enjoying life with less pain again. Besides, how many more winters do you think you get to continue to come down here and enjoy? Even if you don’t get complete pain relief, what would 10%, 25%, 50%, or even 75% improvement in your life do for you?

In all the years of working in the East Valley, this continues to be the biggest

If you are a winter visitor feeling less than 100% because of pain or an injury, please reach out to see what we can do for you!

You can apply for a FREE Discovery Visit (only a few slots open per month) *

Here is what you can expect from a Discovery Visit:

• -Discover what is causing the pain… Hint: it may not be as sinister as you thought gripe I hear amongst our winter visitors. It is the fact that they came down to Arizona to enjoy activities like being outside with friends in our sunshine, but their pain is interfering with their ability to participate! Pain continues to be the primary reason people don’t enjoy being down here as much as they could… even during a ‘colder’ winter, a pandemic, and the rising cost of goods.

We have made it our mission to help our winter visitors enjoy our winters here! We have had the privilege of helping hundreds of winter visitors enjoy their winter here and set them up for their journey back home.

• -Discuss what hasn’t worked in the past and why it may not have worked for what you’re currently going through

• -Tell us your goals and we will help you set out a plan to achieve them… and get you back to enjoying your time in Arizona!

To schedule, please call our office at 480-452-9191.

*Medicare restrictions apply!

Leading experts in helping active adults overcome and prevent injuries, improve performance, and maintain an active lifestyle without medications, injections, or surgery GIVE US A CALL TODAY TO APPLY FOR A FREE CONSULT! (480) 452-9191