Treating Osteoarthritis is a joint venture between the patient and their physician that takes into account the patient’s personal needs and medical condition. The conditions that could affect treatment are cardiac disease, hypertension, peptic ulcers, or renal disease. Standard treatment involves pain killers, physiotherapy, exercises, and diet control. A physician initially advices physiotherapy sessions along with diet control. To help movement, a physiotherapist may suggest certain aids and appliances for use at home and workplace. These can be walking canes, rails near bath areas, additions to taps and electrical plugs, and walking crutches.
Another important area of treatment is weight control. Obesity increases the risk of osteoarthritis by impacting knee and hip joints. Obese women are susceptible to hip osteoarthritis due to housework, and posture and weight control has to be worked on from young age. The reason for this is that once fat accumulates it is difficult to reduce. Instead of waiting for disease to take root, it is advisable to seek medical treatment early. Specific exercises such as swimming, walking, aerobics, and aquatic exercises slow down osteoarthritis by maintaining motion and movement of joints.
There are days when self medication helps relieve pain and swelling. Hot water bottles, electric heating pads, rubbing ointments, and creams have the desired effect. Folk remedies such as mud baths, wearing copper bracelets, and herbal medicines are short term treatments, but if pain and swelling persist, an injection is probably a safer option. In acute cases, a surgical procedure for joint replacement is the best treatment. Before going in for either hip or knee replacement, it is advisable to discuss the implications with physician and the specialist recommended. The reason is that replacements wear out fast, limiting further surgery. Whatever line of treatment is followed, the objective should be an improvement in condition of the joints and the ability to carry on with everyday life activities.
