In any osteoarthritis treatment, the first thing the doctor will want to do is to relieve you of your pain. He will then go on to see how he can reduce the stiffness and increase the mobility of the joint. Osteoarthritis treatment will comprise of more than just medication – it will also include exercise, diet and maybe even counseling.
The first prescription will be pain medication and this could be simple pain relievers or NSAIDs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are temporary and the moment the effect wears off, you will have to take another dose. Together with these, there could be a topical cream, injections or physical therapy that is prescribed. Let’s take a look at what medications are prescribed for pain relief in osteoarthritis. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and some may not suit some people so you will have to report any reaction to any pain reaction prescribed to your doctor immediately.
For the pain, you can buy or be prescribed aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin, Advil or Aleve. The trouble with NSAIDs is that while they are usually effective against the pain, they could cause problems in the stomach like bleeding. While some may reduce the pain, they may not reduce the inflammation and the swelling. The topical creams that are usually used are salicylate creams and capsaicin creams to reduce the swelling and the pain. There are studies to prove that NSAIDs might increase the chances of bringing on a heart attack so in case you have any heart problems, please tell your doctor about them. This happens with NSAIDs like Celecoxib and Diclofenac as well as high doses of ibuprofen. These drugs can also increase the risk of kidney problems and make high blood pressure problems worse.
Other things that will be recommended are supplements like chondroitin and glucosamine which help in maintaining the cartilage mass in the body. There are also injections that could be prescribed to make the joint better. These are known as viscosupplementation where the knee joint is injected with hyaluronic acid and this lubricant is very similar to the synovial fluid in the joints. This lubricates the joints and helps them move well without any friction and pain. The liquid also cushions the area between the joints. This has proved very helpful to get rid of the pain of those who did not get relief from pain medication. This procedure, though popular in Europe, was approved for the US only in the late 90s but so many have benefited from it since then. It does not provide immediate pain relief but might cause some discomfort and swelling initially. However, the benefits are felt in two days.
Surgery is the other form of treatment when it comes to osteoarthritis. When a joint is beyond saving, the best way to go is replacement surgery when it happens to be the knee or the hip. Today surgical techniques have come such a long way that these surgeries have become routine and people are up on their feet and walking in a few days after the operation. The new joints are made of metal or plastic and today, the joints of the hand, elbow, shoulder and other joints too are being replaced. The new joint is fixed on, sometimes with cement and the bone grows into it with time. The surgery takes very little time and you will be administered an anesthetic so you won’t feel a thing. In the case of the spine, however, the vertebrae which rub against each other are fused together to stop the pain. In 9 cases out of 10, joint replacement is a success and with a little care, most people are up and about in a few days. There are some cases when the replaced joint has become infected or causes inflammation or becomes dislocated. However, these instances are few and far between today and in most cases, the surgeons put it right if anything were to go wrong.
There are guidelines for osteoarthritis that have been set down by the ACR or the American College of Rheumatology. These are, they emphasize, just guidelines and the treatment should finally be decided on between the patient and the doctor. The guidelines state that non-drug options should be considered before drug options when it comes to treatment. While this may be practical in the early stages, it might not be too helpful in the later stages of the condition. In the early stages however, the suggestions of losing weight, educating the patient to manage and control the condition, muscle and joint strengthening exercises, etc. might be a good way to go.
To a great extent, you will have to rely on your doctor to prescribe a line of treatment. If he approves, you might want to look at alternative treatment like acupuncture, acupressure and massage therapy to ease the pain and increase the mobility of the joints. The thing to remember is, you do not have to live with the pain. You can manage it – and there are many options available to you. So wear a smile, stay positive and go get that osteoarthritis treated and you can have many more active days ahead of you.