Are you one of the 46 million American adults currently suffering from arthritis?

If you suffer from arthritis, you may be considering surgery to alleviate your symptoms. To learn more about your surgical options, and how you can manage your arthritis, consult the physicians at University Orthopaedic Associates.

Our specialists can help you determine what procedures are right for you to reduce your symptoms, so you can live an active, pain-free life.

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints that causes and restricts movement. It is caused by the breakdown of cartilage that normally protects the joint, facilitating smooth movement. Without cartilage, bones rub together, which creates inflammation and pain.

UOA offers a variety of treatment options for patients suffering from arthritis:

Treatment
Arthroscopy – A minimally invasive procedure that uses small incisions to insert an arthroscope to clean damaged cartilage out of a joint.

Arthrodesis- Used to relieve pain in the ankles, wrists, fingers, and thumbs. The two bones that form a joint are fused together to provide stability and reduce pain.

Synovectomy – This procedure is performed to remove the synovium, the tissue lining a joint. Removal of this tissue may reduce the pain and swelling symptoms associated with arthritis.

Arthroplasty – This procedure is performed to rebuild a severely damaged joint. When cartilage has been worn away, the bones in a joint grind together. By resurfacing the bone, a smooth surface is created for the structures of the joint to glide over.

Total Joint Replacement – This procedure is performed to replace a severely damaged joint with an artificial joint. The hip, knee, and shoulder joints are most commonly replaced.

Revision Joint Surgery – This procedure is performed to replace worn out artificial joints, which allows the patient to return to an active lifestyle

Unicondylar Knee Replacement – This procedure is used instead of a total joint replacement when only one or two of the major structures of the knee joint are damaged by arthritis. Only the damaged section is replaced, so the patient typically undergoes a shorter surgery and loses less bone.

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound – Used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Viscosupplementation – An injection for the knee that offers pain relief by cushioning the joint.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint-related disorder. As with other forms of arthritis, the cartilage between the bones wears away in the joints. There is no cure for osteoarthritis and its cause is often unknown. It is believed to be related to aging, but also can occur if the disease runs in the family or a patient is overweight, or from long-term overuse of a joint. Bony spurs or growths typically form around the joint, and the ligaments and muscles can loosen and become weak.

Symptoms

• Deep aching joint pain that gets worse after exercise and is relieved by rest
• Pain that is worse when you start activities after a period of no activity
• Over time, pain is present even when you are at rest
• Grating of the joint with motion
• Increase in pain during humid or moist weather
• Joint swelling
• Limited movement
• Muscle weakness around arthritic joints

Rheumatoid arthritis is a degenerative disease that causes inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissue. When the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, it gives off fluid and the joint becomes swollen. Joint pain is often felt on both sides of the body, and may affect the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, toes, and neck. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease, the cause of which is unknown. Women are more affected by this disorder than men.

Symptoms

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Morning stiffness (lasting more than 1 hour)
• Widespread muscle aches
• Weakness
• Anemia, if bone marrow fails to produce enough new red blood cells
• Hand and feet deformities
• Limited range of motion
• Nodules under the skin
• Numbness or tingling
• Skin redness or inflammation

Glenohumeral arthritis affects four basic aspects of the shoulder joint: amount of movement, stability, strength of the surrounding muscles, and smoothness in the joint. Over time the durability of these aspects wears down and gives way to glenohumeral arthritis, which is an age-related disorder.

Symptoms

• Pain with movement
• Pain at night interfering with sleep
• Weakening of shoulder muscles
• Tenderness and swelling of the joint

Traumatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused from blunt, penetrating, or repeated trauma to a joint. Damage to the articular cartilage can occur when too much pressure is exerted on a joint, causing the cartilage to rip or break into small pieces that become lodged in the joint. Holes in the cartilage develop scar tissue that can reduce the ability of the joint to move freely. The joint can become weak and inflamed, which causes the pain associated with arthritis.

Symptoms

• Swelling
• Pain
• Tenderness
• Joint instability
• Internal bleeding

Call today to set up an appointment with one of our physicians to discuss arthritis.