Osteoarthritis

What About Surgery?

Arthroscopy is rarely recommended for
treatment of knee arthritis alone since it does
not cure the arthritis and other less invasive
techniques give similar results. It may be
helpful to fix a torn meniscus or other specific
injury, however, when arthritis is not the main
source of symptoms. Arthroscopy may provide
better relief from arthritis pain in non-weight
bearing joints, such as the shoulder.
The only curative procedure available
for degenerative arthritis is Total Joint
Replacement. This procedure removes the
worn out joint surfaces and caps the bone
ends with new gliding surfaces of metal
(usually cobalt-chrome) and plastic (ultra high
molecular weight polyethylene) or alternative
bearing surfaces. This usually gives dramatic
pain relief and often restores function to
patients with severe arthritis.
When only a portion of a knee has worn out,
Partial Knee Replacement may provide good
symptom relief with a smaller operation and
more naturalfeel.
Joint Replacement is a major surgical
procedure and is associated with a low
incidence of risks such as infection, nerve
vessel injury, and unanticipated breakage
of the bone, dislocation or even death. In
addition, the replacements may loosen or wear
out over a period of 15-30 years (sometimes
much less or more). Repeat joint replacements
can be done but are less likely to give as good
a result. It is therefore desirable to carry this
surgery out in hopes of it lasting a lifetime.
It may also wear out more rapidly in people
who are very active, younger or over-weight.
Under the right circumstances, however, this
procedure is effective and rewarding.

Find more information

on Osteoarthritis at:
orthoinfo.aaos.org
arthritis.org
nih.gov/niams

WASHINGTON ORTHOPAEDIC CENTER

waortho.com
1900 Cooks Hill Road
Centralia, WA 98531
360-736-2889 800-342-0205

WASHINGTON
ORTHOPAEDIC
CENTER

What Is It?

What Can Be Done?

Arthritis means oint in ammation.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of
arthritis. t occurs to some extent in most
people as the age. t can egin earlier
however as the result of oint in ur or
disease and sometimes for reasons that
are less clear. ips and nees are most
commonl affected ut shoulders hands
and other oints can also e involved.

A variety of Medications ma e helpful.

cetaminophen can provide su stantial
pain relief. e careful however not to ta e
more than 4 grams of acetaminophen (two
extra strength ta lets four times per da .
e aware that other
medications ma
contain acetaminophen. here are man
non steroidal anti inflammator medications
aspirins i uprofen or naproxen as well as
prescription anti inflammatories which ma
help relieve pain and improve function. he
most common ris s are stomach irritation
though some are less li el to cause this.
medications such as lucosamine hondroitin
or her al supplements ma also e helpful.
arcotic medications are less commonl used
ecause of their ris s and side effects.

he ma or pro lem from this condition is

simpl wearing out of the smooth gliding
cartilage on the surface of the oint. his
is seen on x ra s as a decrease in space
etween the one surfaces since the cartilage
itself is clear on x ra s. his can ultimatel
progress to the point where there is one on
one. n addition to narrowing of the oint
space the od responds to the excessive
stress
forming roader on surface which
we see on x ra s as one spurs.
lthough extensive research is ongoing
the exact cause and means of preventing
osteoarthritis is still un nown. reatment is
directed primarily at relieving the symptoms
of arthritis which can cause a vicious c cle of
wea ness and immo ilit that interfere with
dail activities and ualit of life.

here are man inds of Topical Medications

capsaicin spercreme
c ot and others
which ma ease s mptoms to improve function.
Braces ma provide support or improve
alignment. Cane can often e ver useful
in unweighting the oint while still permitting
normal activities. esorting to a wheel chair is
discouraged as this allows muscles to ecome
wea ened the oints to ecome stiff and the
ones to ecome rittle and diminish the
li elihood of regaining the a ilit to wal .

Exercise to strengthen the muscles around

the oint has een proven to improve
function and decrease pain and protect the
oint. lexi ilit and conditioning exercises
are also ver helpful in reducing s mptoms.
n general exercise which minimi es the
impact loading pounding experienced
the oints such as swimming or ic cling is
preferred ut an exercise is etter than none.
Weight Control is also extremel valua le in
decreasing the stress on the oints. ach step
results in three times the od weight through
the hip and nee. herefore each pound
gained or lost has a tremendous influence on
the stress experienced
the oints.
t is advisa le to use good supportive well
padded shoes or impact a sor ing shoe inserts
for an wal ing or running on hard surfaces.
Cortisone Injections decrease inflammation.
he have een proven to provide significant
relief in a ma orit of people with arthritis pain.
Hyaluronate iscosupplementation
in ections are designed to provide extra
shoc a sor ing fluid and lu rication in
the oint. t t picall re uires three wee l
in ections and ma give significant relief for
man months.