For patients with arthritis, living with continuous joint pain can sometimes become unbearable. If you’re struggling with the pain and discomfort of arthritis, the Health East Medical Alliance team can help. The practice has offices at Schuylerville in the Bronx, Morris Heights in the Bronx, Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, and Staten Island in New York, and Freehold, Englewood, and West New York in New Jersey. Their team offers effective arthritis treatments, from physical therapy and joint injections to joint replacement surgery. Call the Health East Medical Alliance office nearest you today or book an appointment online.
Arthritis isn’t a single disease but a collection of over 100 conditions that affect the joints. The most common kinds of arthritis are:
Osteoarthritis develops as a result of many years of joint wear-and-tear. The smooth, slippery cartilage that covers the ends of the bones in your joints gradually wears away, leaving the bones unprotected. Instead of sliding over each other where they meet, the bones rub together, causing inflammation, pain, and stiffness.
Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by glitches in your immune system. The immune system protects you from harmful invaders like viruses and bacteria. When you have an autoimmune disease, something goes wrong. Your body attacks healthy cells. Rheumatoid arthritis destroys the joint linings, causing inflammation and pain.
Symptoms of arthritis include:
Some kinds of arthritis affect many joints, while others target specific ones. Gout, for example, usually affects the joints in your big toe. It’s common for patients with arthritis to experience flare-ups, where their pain gets worse for a day or so. This is often because of triggers like cold, wet weather, stress, or doing unusual activities.
The Health East Medical Alliance team begins your arthritis treatment using non-invasive methods like physical therapy. Medication can also help reduce inflammation. It’s important to remain active (without overstressing your joints). Lack of movement makes you stiffer and weaker.
As your arthritis gets worse, you might need joint injections. These contain a steroid medication that has a long-lasting, anti-inflammatory effect. Procedures like radiofrequency ablation can also be helpful with advanced arthritis.
The Health East Medical Alliance team can significantly extend the life of your joints using non-surgical treatments. However, if your arthritis worsens to a point where nothing else gives you relief, your doctor could recommend joint replacement surgery.
Hips and knees are the joints most commonly replaced. But it’s possible to replace many other joints with artificial parts.
Where possible, the team uses minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques to do joint replacements. They remove the ends of the diseased bones and replace part or all of the joint with new parts.
If you’re living with arthritis, effective ways of managing your pain and improving your mobility are available. Call Health East Medical Alliance today to find out more or book an appointment online.
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