Suffering From Osteoarthritis in Galveston TX?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in Galveston TX, and it is a degenerative condition that most commonly affects people over the age of 50, especially women. With this condition affecting so many people, it has put an enormous strain on the healthcare system costing easily over 15 million dollars per year. Aside from the national cost, osteoarthritis and OA-related pain has been the number one cause for disability in people over the age of 50.

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Understanding Osteoarthritis in Galveston TX

Osteoarthritis, as previously mentioned, is a condition where the protective cartilage within the joints starts to wear down causing pain during, and after, movement. This disease decreases the ability of the cartilage to fully cushion or absorb the stress making it (the cartilage) deteriorate faster. Other structures are therefore overworked because the cartilage cannot do its duty, structures such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments making the pain worsen. When the disease gets to a certain point, bones may begin to put pressure on one another causing even greater pain. As we all continually grow older, this disease may seem concerning and scary, but it can be treated and, if caught early enough, prevented here at Galveston Physical Medicine where we have the most recent treatments and measures to prevent any development.

Osteoarthritis commonly is prone to affect the joints that are frequently used or overworked like knees, elbows, neck, hips, and hands. These are the typical joints that are regularly used in bearing an excessive amount of weight therefore affected more by OA than any other joint. Though the knees, elbows, hips, and hands are most commonly affected, any joint can be affected. Especially joints that have undergone severe trauma or stress from excessive hard labor and/or movement.

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Symptoms Associated with Osteoarthritis

The physicians at Galveston Physical Medicine have witnessed patients with a variety of osteoarthritis symptoms, ranging from common to extreme. Here are common symptoms for OA:

• Pain in the joints, made worse with movement
• Swelling and enlargement in joints, like knees and hands
• Decrease in the range of motion and flexibility of the joints
• Stiffness in the joints
• Pain with movement of the joints after periods of rest

Knees and hands are the most common joints and locations to be affected by osteoarthritis. Here are the most observed symptoms in relation to these specific joints that doctors at Galveston Physical Medicine have witnessed:

• Pain during running or jogging
• Intense joint pain from cold weather
• Extreme aching or stabbing sensation in the knees
• Bone enlargement in the fingers
• Stiffness in the fingers
• Grinding or scraping noise while walking

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Therapy and Treatments Offered

Here at Galveston Physical Medicine our sole focus is to help improve and restore the alignment of the joints throughout your body. Through research and demonstration on both humans and animals, it has been discovered that bones can degenerate faster when they are not in their proper positions therefore osteoarthritis has a better likelihood of occurring. Our team brings a variety of specialties to patients, with that we have a variety of treatment programs available which includes several forms of physical therapy, supplemental advice, and nutritional programs. These forms of treatment have been clinically proven through various studies which show that they can slow the development as well as prevent osteoarthritis.

If you think you have symptoms for osteoarthritis or are personally concerned about its development, do not hesitate to reach out to us to schedule a personal appointment today. We would be happy to help you in your journey back to good health.

Learn more about your own health here, schedule now with our Health Risk Analysis unit to find more out about your health!