Degenerative Joint Disease Care
Orthobridge Orthopedic Centre in Kenya is dedicated to advancing the treatment of joint-related problems and to
providing personalized approaches to prolong the health of your joints.
Individualized Treatment for Degenerative Joint Disease
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. A joint is an area of the body where two different bones meet. A joint function is to move the body parts connected by its bones.
Normally a joint consists of two smooth, cartilage-covered bone surfaces that fit together as a matched set and that move smoothly against one other.
It results when these smooth surfaces become irregular and don’t fit together well anymore and essentially “wear out.”
There are many types of arthritis (over 100 identified, and the number is growing). These types range from those related to wear and tear of cartilage (such as osteoarthritis) to those associated with inflammation resulting from an overactive immune system (such as rheumatoid arthritis).
Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis, is the most common type of arthritis. While this condition can occur in any joint, it usually affects the hands, knees, hips, or spine.
This disease is common because wear and tear on the joints over time can cause the cartilage to break down. The degeneration of cartilage means that bones lose their cushioning.
They are then vulnerable to rubbing against one another within the joint. As a result, the joint area becomes inflamed and painful, leading to a decrease in mobility. In addition, bone spurs, or pieces of bone, may form around the joint. Ligaments and muscles may also become both weaker and stiffer as arthritis worsens.
What are the symptoms of a degenerative joint disease?
The most common signs and symptoms of this condition involve the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis you have, your signs and symptoms may include:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Redness
- Decreased range of motion
- Loss of flexibility
Depending on the location, you may also experience any of the following:
- Pain, specifically when you move the affected joint
- Pain in nearby areas of the body for instance, if you have arthritis in your hip, you may experience discomfort in your groin, knees, or buttocks.
- Difficulty putting pressure on the affected joint (for arthritis of the knee, foot, or ankle)
- A sensation of warmth when touching the joint
- “Flare-ups” after vigorous activity
- Weakness such as buckling of the knees
Risk factors for degenerative joint disease may include:
1. Family history: Some types of arthritis run in families, so you may be more likely to develop arthritis if your parents or siblings have the disorder. Your genes can make you more susceptible to environmental factors that may trigger arthritis.
2. Age: The risk of many types of arthritis — including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout — increases with age.
3. Your sex: Women are more likely than are men to develop rheumatoid arthritis, while most of the people who have gout, another type of arthritis, are men.
4. Previous joint injury: People who have injured a joint, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
5. Obesity: Carrying excess pounds puts stress on joints, particularly your knees, hips, and spine. Obese people have a higher risk of developing arthritis.
How is degenerative joint disease / arthritis diagnosed?
A diagnosis of arthritis is the first step toward successful treatment.
To diagnose arthritis, your doctor will consider your symptoms, perform a physical exam to check for swollen joints or loss of motion, and use blood tests and X-rays to confirm the diagnosis.
X-rays and blood tests also help distinguish the type of arthritis you have.
X-rays are used to diagnose osteoarthritis, typically revealing a loss of cartilage, bone spurs, and in extreme cases, bone rubbing against bone.
Sometimes, joint aspiration (using a needle to draw a small sample of fluid from the joint for testing) is used to rule out other types of arthritis.
If your doctor suspects infectious arthritis as a complication of some other disease, testing a sample of fluid from the affected joint will usually confirm the diagnosis and determine how it will be treated.
Can the degenerative joint disease be prevented?
There is no sure way to prevent this condition. But you can help to reduce your risk and delay the potential onset of certain types of arthritis.
If you have healthy joints right now, do all you can now to maintain mobility and function and avoid the pain and disability associated with arthritis.
There are risk factors that are not modifiable. That means there is nothing you can do about them.
Being female and having a family history of arthritis are two examples of factors that make people more likely – but not certain – to get some types of arthritis.
Some risk factors are considered to be modifiable. There are home remedies that can be put into practice in order to reduce risk, delay the onset, or altogether prevent arthritis.
For example;
- Osteoarthritis – Maintain a healthy weight
- Rheumatoid arthritis – Do not smoke
- Gout – Eat a healthful diet, low in sugar, alcohol, and purines
In some cases, preventing a prior incident can significantly reduce the risk of arthritis.
Avoiding sports injuries through proper equipment, adequate training, and safe play can prevent ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears that may lead to osteoarthritis in a few years or several decades later.
Treatments for Degenerative Joint Disease
Treatments for osteoarthritis vary depending on the severity of the condition, the location of the joint degeneration, and the extent of disability that the symptoms of the condition causes.
Typical treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving joint function.
You may need to try several treatments, or combinations of treatments before you determine what works best for you.
Generally, treatment includes rest, occupational or physical therapy, exercise, medications, assistive devices, and sometimes having an orthopedic surgery to correct joint damage.
Surgery for Degenerative Joint Disease
If conservative measures don’t help, your doctor may suggest surgery. Joint surgery can provide lasting relief of symptoms and can greatly improve your quality of life.
Surgical procedures may include:
1. Joint repair – In some instances, joint surfaces can be smoothed or realigned to reduce pain and improve function. These types of procedures can often be performed arthroscopically — through small incisions over the joint.
2. Joint replacement – This procedure removes your damaged joint and replaces it with an artificial one. The joints most commonly replaced are hips and knees.
3. Joint fusion – This procedure is most often used for smaller joints, such as those in the wrist, ankle, and fingers. It removes the ends of the two bones in the joint and then locks those ends together until they heal into one rigid unit.
Maximizing full functional ability with Col (Dr) Adari, An Orthopaedic Surgeon in Nairobi, Kenya
Through Orthobridge Orthopedics Centre, Col (Dr) Adari, offers the most advanced forms of treatment for degenerative joint diseases such as platelet-rich plasma and non-surgical alternatives.
We help you learn how to live and make lifestyle accommodations that can drastically reduce your suffering.
Our goals are to accurately diagnose your condition as well as utilize treatments that have the potential to minimize pain and maximize your functional ability.
Whether you’re seeking help with an existing condition, you would like a diagnosis, or you are looking for help with recovery and rehabilitation, Orthobridge Orthopedic specialists in Kenya can help.
By taking care of your health and learning about this condition, you can continue thriving, no matter what diagnosis comes your way.
We offer care and treatments that improve the lives of patients dealing with osteoarthritis and other orthopedic conditions.
Hear from some of our patients
When extensive tests revealed that she had developed osteoarthritis due to a previous injury that had gone unnoticed, She decided to reach out directly to Col (Dr) Adari.
Watch this video to learn more about her story.
New advances in medicine have made it possible to treat an arthritic injury using plasma rich platelets acquired from your own blood.
Watch this video and understand this advanced treatment available at Orthobridge Institute.
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