Arthritis Specialist

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a chronic condition that involves the inflammation of one or more of your joints. Common with age, arthritis can also develop when you suffer an injury to a joint.

While there are over 100 types of arthritis, the most common types that affect your long-term health include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

In osteoarthritis, the protective cartilage tissue that covers the ends of your bones begins to break down. This leads to the bones rubbing together, causing stiffness, limited mobility, and eventually leads to chronic pain.

With rheumatoid arthritis, your body’s immune system begins to mistakenly attack the lining of your joints, leading to chronic pain, swollen joints, and difficulties with movement.

What are my risk factors for arthritis?

Your risk for arthritis increases as you get older or if you have suffered a previous injury to a joint.

You may also be prone to developing arthritis if you have family members with the condition. Other risk factors for arthritis include:

• Obesity
• Smoking
• Infection

If you’re at high risk for arthritis, Dr. Verma can recommend lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking and staying physically active to prevent chronic arthritis pain.

How is arthritis diagnosed?

If you have the symptoms of arthritis and find it increasingly difficult to move your joints, your Verma Health physician performs a physical evaluation of your affected joint. They check your range of motion and flexibility while working to identify areas of swelling and pain.

To confirm arthritis and rule out other conditions that can cause joint pain, your doctor requests imaging tests, like X-rays or a CT scan. These tests can also determine the severity of your arthritis.

What treatments are available for arthritis?

The goal of treating arthritis is to ease your pain, improve your range of motion, and slow down the progression of the disease.

In many cases, your physician initially recommends over-the-counter or prescription medications to relieve pain and inflammation. If these medications aren’t enough, you may benefit from injections of corticosteroids that address inflammation quickly to give you long-term pain relief.

At  Verma Health, the team recognizes the value of physical therapy to improve joint function. If your arthritis is advanced, you may need a referral for joint surgery.

Find out more about your options for treating the pain and mobility issues common with arthritis by calling Verma Health today or by requesting a consultation online now.