Arthritis

What is arthritis?

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis joint disease which is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. today. Common symptoms include inflammation, swelling, stiffness, pain, and a limited range of motion within the affected joints. Sometimes arthritis symptoms come and go, and often they progress and get worse over time.

When severe arthritis causes chronic pain, it can be challenging to complete daily activities, or even just to move around easily. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis which often affects the knee joints, making it very painful to walk.

What causes arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the result of wear and tear on your joints, often worsening with age. As you get older, the cartilage around your joints deteriorates, and you may experience bone-on-bone rubbing together when the cartilage becomes damaged. When this happens, you experience extreme pain and loss of motion in your joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by a problem with your body’s immune system. It makes your body attack the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that surrounds the joint, and this membrane becomes swollen. Rheumatoid arthritis can progress to become extremely debilitating, eventually destroying the bone inside your joint as well as the surrounding cartilage.

How is arthritis pain treated?

The type of arthritis you have determines your treatment options. Dr. Boatwright performs a comprehensive clinical evaluation and assessment of your arthritis symptoms and the severity of your condition. He then recommends a variety of therapies to help relieve your pain and make it easier for you to complete daily activities.

Some of the available treatments and therapies include:

• Joint steroid injections
  
• Viscosupplementation
  
• Topical treatments
  
• Compound medications
  

What is viscosupplementation?

Viscosupplementation is a medical procedure in which Dr. Boatwright injects a lubricating fluid into an arthritic joint. This is commonly used to treat osteoarthritis in your knees. The fluid is made up of hyaluronic acid, a fluid that your body produces naturally.

Healthy joints have enough fluid to keep them functioning properly, but for those with arthritis, their bodies produce less of it. The viscosupplementation helps replace the fluid and facilitates a better range of motion in your knees while reducing pain.

To learn more about the variety of arthritis treatment options available at Palmetto Spine and Pain Care Consultants, call their Myrtle Beach office, or schedule a consultation online.