Joint & Arthritic Pain
Arthritis is the medical term for the inflammation of a joint, but is also used to refer to conditions that lead to the damage of a cartilage. Inflammation is simply a way of the body to respond to injury and is commonly portrayed by redness, swelling, heat and pain around injured areas. Dr. Tom is a specialist who is well read into treatment and care of symptoms at any stage of your condition.
In the human body, cartilage serves as padding that absorbs injury-related stress. The stage of arthritis depends on the extent of cartilage damage and also the level of synovial inflammation. The pain that one feels at its early stages are due to inflammation but as the situation worsens, the pain is normally caused by frictional impact between raw bones; since the cartilage has been worn out.
There are various types of arthritis. Some of the most common types are:
Osteoarthritis: It affects the cartilage hence causing milt to severe joint pain and as a result it can limit one’s normal motion capabilities. It is prevalent in older people.
Rheumatoid arthritis: Occurs when the body’s immune system attacks healthy joints, tissues, and organs resulting into severe pain, swelling, stiffness as well as loss of function in joints. It is prevalent in women of childbearing age (15-44).
Fibromyalgia: It is a chronic disorder that results into pain and stiffness exhibited in tissues that are essential in support and movement of bones and joints.
Gout: A condition caused by abnormal levels of uric acid which in turn causes deposits referred to as uric acid deposits to form in the joints’ fluid and lining system. This opens way to severe and painful arthritis attack.
Other types of arthritis include infectious arthritis, reactive arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Ankylosing spondylitis etc, but in all, the basic principle is that they result in damage of joints, tissues and muscles responsible for motion.
Dr. Tom will apply diagnoses by the use of patients’ medical history, interpreting physical exam results as well as conducting x-rays of the hip.
Some of the causes of joint pain caused by arthritis are:
- Excessive strain over prolonged periods of time
- Other joint diseases, injury or deformity
- Ageing and general degeneration of joints
- Repeated trauma or surgery to the affected joint, or region
- Abnormal joint structures from birth
- Uric acid crystal build-up leading to gout cases
- Congenital abnormalities e.g. perthes’ disease
Some factors however, may predispose one’s hip to osteoarthritis. This condition is most common as people grow older, and it specifically affects the joints that are mounted on with the most pressure. These conditions may be due to:
- An earlier hip fracture
- Abnormalities in the hip growth leading to premature arthritis
- Various childhood hip conditions that later lead to hip arthritis. Some include a typical childhood hip fracture called a Slipped Epiphysis; also Legg-Perthe’s Disease.
- Inactive lifestyle- leading to obesity (overweight) causing an additional burden to your hips, knees, ankles and feet.
Dr. Tom has procedures for implementing the preventive as well as curative measures against arthritis and joint pain. Some of them are:
- Regular exercises for flexible joints and improved muscle strength as well as muscle control.
- Medication like painkillers, acetaminophen and Non -Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)
- Heat/cold therapy for temporary pain relief
- Best practices for joint protection in order to alleviate strain or stress on painful joints
- Surgery to alleviate some of the pain exhibited.
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What Dr. Tom's Patients Are Saying...
"I felt very comfortable and secure in that I will be feeling much better very soon, and I love that Dr. Macek did not recommend unnecessary procedures right off the bat. It was a nice experience for a somewhat dreaded doctor's appt.!"
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