Osteoarthritis Treatment in Dallas and Frisco, TX

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis. The disease affects cartilage in between the joints. While osteoarthritis can affect any area of the body, it most commonly affects the knees, hands, hips, and spine. Many people confuse rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, but the two are very different from each other. Read our blog about rheumatoid arthritis vs osteoarthritis to learn more.

It is more difficult to diagnose arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis, because it has the same symptoms or symptoms that are very similar to those associated with other diseases. At SPORT Orthopedics + Physical Therapy, our team can help diagnose and provide treatment options for those suffering from osteoarthritis pain.

What Causes Osteoarthritis?

Arthritis occurs as the cartilage in the joint breaks down, causing a reaction in the bone. The bones in the joint become thicker and develop a growth called a bone spur.

For patients with knee osteoarthritis, the lubricating fluid in the joint (synovial fluid) gets thicker and inflamed. If too much fluid is produced, a condition referred to as “water on the knee” can result.

With osteoarthritis, the joint continues to experience changes over several years. Eventually, very little of the cartilage remains. Bone-on-bone rubbing causes pain and significant swelling, impairs movements, and makes daily activities difficult.

Risk factors for developing osteoarthritis include:

• Wear and tear, over time
• Excess weight or obesity that puts excessive strain on the joints
• Past injuries including dislocated joints, ligament tears, fractures, or severe sprain
• Heredity
• Increasing age
• Women more than 50 years old have a higher incidence than men
• Knee injury
• Repetitive stress injury to the knee
• Participation in high impact sports
• Certain illnesses, including septic arthritis and metabolic disorders

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Osteoarthritis causes joint pain and swelling. It minimizes the person’s normal range of movement. For those suffering with knee osteoarthritis, you may have difficulty moving your knee, performing activities such as walking, squatting, kneeling, etc., as well as knee pain.

The symptoms associated with osteoarthritis tend to include:

• pain with movement
• pain or tenderness
• stiffness or loss of joint flexibility
• grinding sensation during movement
• difficulty standing for prolonged periods

Joint Pain Caused by Osteoarthritis

If you are experiencing chronic joint or knee pain due to osteoarthritis, cartilage transplantation is a treatment option that can help prevent the need for partial or full knee replacement at a later date.

With this innovative procedure, cartilage is harvested from a healthy joint in your body and transplanted to the affected area. In Dallas and Frisco, board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons of Sports Physicians Orthopedics and Rehabilitation of Texas (SPORT) is an expert in the cartilage transplant procedure.

Cartilage transplants have been utilized for more than a decade with the latest techniques improving outcomes for patients due to smaller incisions, smaller patches that cover the defect, and the use of a patient’s own cells. As a result of these advances, patients are experiencing less pain and faster recovery.

Those with isolated full-thickness cartilage defects make the best candidates for cartilage transplantation. However, multiple defects can be treated with a single procedure.

Diagnosing Osteoarthritis

Our Dallas orthopedic specialists will discuss your symptoms, as well as your personal and family medical history, and conduct a physical examination in order to better evaluate what’s causing pain.

Once we’ve completed the physical exam, to confirm that you have osteoarthritis, our diagnosis doctors may recommend one or more of the following tests:

• Blood test: to ruse out other potential causes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease, etc.
• Joint fluid analysis: to look for gout, infection, or inflammatory arthritis
• Magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI): to provide a more detailed image of your bones and cartilage covering the affected joint
• X-ray: to look for loss of cartilage between the joint space or bone spurs

Osteoarthritis Treatment Options in Dallas & Frisco, Texas

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that worsens over time. Since there isn’t a cure for arthritis developing between the joints, our treatment options aim to help relieve pain and symptoms associated with osteoarthritis.

Treatment of osteoarthritis is individualized. The treatment that you receive depends on several factors, including your overall health and the stage of disease. The initial treatment options for osteoarthritis can include physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and medications.

If you are overweight, our Dallas orthopedic specialists may recommend that you lose weight. Attaining and maintaining a healthy weight reduces the load on your joints, particularly the knees. Participating in physical therapy can help strengthen the muscle groups around the knee joint. A knee brace can provide support.

For some patients, we may recommend over-the-counter pain medications, such as aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), or in some cases, stronger prescription pain medications. Joint injections, such as steroid injections or visco-supplementation, are used for osteoarthritis pain relief.

Osteoarthritis Surgery

If nonsurgical treatment fails, there are a few different surgical procedures that may relieve the pain associated with osteoarthritis. These can include arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement surgery, or joint reconstruction surgery.

Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteotomy and joint replacement (arthroplasty) are procedures used to treat the affected joint.

Osteotomy is used to remove and reshape bone from the leg to cause a shift in body weight away from the damaged area. Casting, splinting, and physical therapy follow osteotomy. Recovery from osteotomy varies from 3 to 6 months for some people, and up to a year for others.

Total knee replacement involves a surgical removal of the damaged portion of the knee and replaces it with artificial implants. Knee replacement is the most common type of joint replacement surgery. It is highly successful for relieving pain and restoring function.

Minimally invasive knee replacement surgery uses smaller incisions, and is associated with shorter hospital stays, shorter rehabilitation periods, and a quicker recovery time than traditional total knee replacement.

Our orthopedic specialists will let you know which knee joint replacement method is best for you. Overall, most people experience a dramatic reduction of knee pain and the ability to resume functional activities after knee arthroplasty.

DALLAS OSTEOARTHRITIS SPECIALISTS

Depending on the size and location of the lesion, recovery time can, on average, be achieved within six to nine months. Cartilage transplant patients come to SPORT from Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, and other nearby locations. To find out if you’re a suitable candidate for osteoarthritis treatment, arrange a consultation with one of our orthopedic surgeons by calling (469) 200-2832 or you can request an appointment online.