Osteoarthritis makes growing older miserable for millions of people, and there are 99 or more other forms of arthritis causing similar misery. If you’re suffering from chronic joint pain, visit Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic in Cullman, Alabama. The experienced team members offer personalized treatment for arthritis that relieves pain and stiffness and helps you enjoy life more. To find out more about arthritis treatments, call Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic today or book an appointment online.
request an appointmentWhat is arthritis?
Arthritis has over 100 forms, all affecting one or more of your body’s joints and causing long-term pain, stiffness, and weakness.
The most common form is osteoarthritis, which tends to affect older people. It develops when years of joint use cause the articular cartilage protecting the ends of your bones to wear away. With no protection, the raw bones rub together, generating friction and inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the next most common form. It has entirely different causes, namely a malfunction in your immune system. Antibodies made by your white blood cells mistakenly attack the joint linings, destroying them and leaving your bones unprotected.
Other autoimmune disorders, like lupus, can also result in arthritic joints.
Other common forms of arthritis include psoriatic arthritis, which causes skin problems as well as joint pain, and septic arthritis, which results from an infection. Gout, most likely to develop in your feet, results from excess uric acid in your blood that forms crystals in your joints.
What symptoms does arthritis cause?
Arthritis causes deep, aching pain, tenderness, and swelling that can affect any joint, although the knees, hips, and hands are often the worst with widespread arthritis.
The pain is likely to cycle through peaks and troughs, some days more tolerable while at other times becoming unbearable. Triggers for an arthritis flare-up include stress, a change in activities, and wet, cold weather.
As the disease progresses, you lose strength, stability, and grip, and the joints might twist. Severe arthritis can be disabling as well as excruciatingly painful.
How is arthritis treated?
Arthritis has no cure yet, so the Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic team focuses on pain relief and improving your mobility. Your provider creates a personalized treatment plan for you that might include a combination of therapies suited to your specific needs.
Treatments in your personalized Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic plan might include:
- Physical therapy
- Pain relief medication
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Anti-inflammatory creams or gels
- Capsaicin and menthol cream
- Oral or injectable corticosteroids
- Splints or braces
- Therapeutic massage
- Acupuncture
- IV (intravenous) infusions
- Hyaluronic acid injections
- Medical weight loss
- Lifestyle changes
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can help with autoimmune forms of the condition, like rheumatoid arthritis.
To benefit from the team’s expertise in chronic disease management for arthritis patients, call Warehouse Primary Care & Specialty Clinic today or book an appointment online.