Degenerative Joint Disease & Joint Replacement

Degenerative Joint Disease or Osteoarthritis is a painful condition which usually affects the knees, hips, hand joints and other joints. It usually occurs due to aging and when the joints are injured due to repeated use. Normally joints consist of a thick, rubbery tissue called cartilage that acts as a cushion between the bones. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage wears away leaving the bones to rub against each other.

Symptoms

Pain in the joints which worsens with activity and gets better with rest.
As the condition progresses, pain may occur even at rest.
Joint stiffness especially after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time.
Joint swellings
Sound of bones rubbing against each other
Weakened muscles surrounding the affected joints.

Risk factors

Age>50 yrs
Females>males
Family history
Obesity
Physical inactivity
Trauma to the joints
Repetitive use of the joints
Malalignment

Treatment

Exercises
Keeping the joint mobile is extremely important to improve the health of the cartilage, maintain joint movement and imporove muscle strength. Joint flexibility is lost in people with osteoarthritis and exercises that move the joint through its range of motion will help maintain flexibility. Exercises also strengthen the surrounding muscles which are weakened due to pain.
Weight Loss
Weight loss in patients having overweight and osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints is beneficial. Weight loss of 5 kg can help reduce force on the knee by 15-30 kg with each step. A dietician can help with safe weight loss strategies.
Braces
Patella taping, knee braces and orthotics can be useful in the management of osteoarthritis of knee. A walking stick in the hand opposite to the affected side can reduce the force on the joints by at least 50 % in people with hip and knee osteoarthritis.
Medications
There are different types of medications used for osteoarthritis. You should consult your treating doctor for the right type of medication for oyu.
Surgery
Surgery in osteoarthristis depends on different factors such as age, occupation, degree of disability, severity of pain and the individuals life style. Surgery helps to relieve pain and correct the disability.

Prevention

Maintain ideal body weight
Exercise regularly to strengthen muscles around the joints
Maintain good posture
Do not ignore joint pain. Consult your doctor
Avoid injury to the joints by protective measures.

Joint replacement Surgery

Joint replacement Surgery is removing damaged joint and replacing it with a metal, plastic or ceramic device called prosthesis. The prosthesis is designed to replicate the movement of a normal healthy joint.

Hip and knee replacements are the most common joint replacement surgeries performed, followed by shoulder, elbow, ankle etc.

Joint replacement surgeries are performed by Orthopedic surgeons who are trained in replacement surgeries.

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Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine

Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision.

Degenerative Joint Disease & Joint Replacement

Joint replacement surgery is removing a damaged joint and putting in a new one. A joint is where two or more bones come together, like the knee, hip, and shoulder. The surgery is usually done by a doctor called an orthopaedic (or-tho-PEE-dik) surgeon.

Osteoporosis

a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.

Miscellaneous

Sports medicine, also known as sport and exercise medicine (SEM), is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise.