What Is Osteoarthritis and How Is It Treated?

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition of the joints and the most common form of arthritis. While it’s diagnosed most often in adults over 60, it can show up at much younger ages, especially if you’ve suffered a joint injury. If you’re one of more than 27 million Americans affected, there are many treatments that offer hope.

At the practice of Dr. Chris Boone with locations in Redmond, Issaquah, and Bellevue, Washington, you can receive the correct diagnosis and treatment for your osteoarthritis pain. Dr. Boone delivers a wide range of treatments; from conservative and noninvasive to surgical joint replacement. He’ll find an option that’ll ease your specific joint pain.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

Do you have osteoarthritis? That means the protective tissues cushioning the end of your bones have become damaged, causing pain, swelling, and reduced motion. Symptoms of osteoarthritis usual develop over time and include:

• Pain in specific joints after movement
• Stiffness in your joints when you wake up or if you’ve been inactive
• Tenderness when you apply pressure to the joint
• Reduced range of motion and or flexibility

Certain factors can increase your risk, including excess weight, previous joint injuries, and age. Women are also more likely than men to develop osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis treatment

To reduce pain and stiffness, Dr. Boone may recommend one or more of the following treatment therapies:

Activity modification

If an activity causes pain, the first step is to take the stress off the joints. This can mean you need to:

• Switch from high impact to low-impact exercise
• Lose weight
• Begin physical therapy to strengthen your joints

Joint injections

If conservative treatments don’t help, you may want to consider injectable treatments, such as:

• Steroid injections to reduce inflammation
• Hyaluronic acid injections to help the fluids in your joint and movement
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to trigger healing and new tissue production

Joint replacement

When other treatments aren’t helpful, joint replacement surgery is an option. The most common joints replaced are the hip and the knee. Success rates vary, and surgical techniques can have a big influence on the outcome.

Dr. Boone uses robot-assisted technology because it is more customized and precise, and can also speed your recovery. For 80–90% of people who opt for joint replacement, the new joint should last about 15 years or more.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to osteoarthritis pain, contact one of our office locations or book an appointment using our convenient scheduling tool.