Treatment of Arthritis in East Village

Arthritis is a joint condition characterized by pain, swelling, and tenderness in the joints. Joint stiffness and pain are the main symptoms of arthritis that worsen with age. East village arthritis is treated by arthritis specialists who offer you effective treatment options. They also provide steroid injections and other treatments to help relieve pain and increase the functionality of your joint.

What is arthritis?

It is an inflammation that affects different joints in your body including the ankle, knee, shoulders, and wrist. The most common types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Persistent pain in joints can affect your mobility. Other types of arthritis include infectious, degenerative, metabolic, and inflammatory arthritis and can cause limited joint functionality, chronic pain, or disability.

What are the types of arthritis?

• Degenerative arthritis

Degenerative arthritis is a type of arthritis that affects the cartilage which cushions the ends of your bones. Arthritis causes this cartilage to wear out, making your bones rub against each other, leading to pain, swelling, and stiffness of your joint. With time joints become weak, and you may experience chronic pain. Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative arthritis affecting many people.

• Inflammatory arthritis

Generally, a healthy immune system generates internal inflammation to prevent diseases by getting rid of infections. However, with inflammatory arthritis, the immune system works abnormally by producing antibodies against healthy joints leading to excessive inflammation and chronic pain in joints. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis are common examples of inflammatory arthritis.

• Infectious arthritis

Infectious arthritis is caused by a virus, bacteria, or fungus that enters your joint, causing inflammation and pain. Salmonella, Shigella, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are some of the organisms that can cause infectious inflammation. Hepatitis C is a blood to a blood infection shared during a blood transfusion or through needles, and can also infect your joints leading to inflammation.

• Metabolic arthritis

As your body breaks down purine found in food and body cells, uric acid is formed. Some people normally have higher uric acid levels because their bodies either produce more or cannot get rid of enough uric acid resulting in its buildup. Accumulation of the acid in the joints causes extreme joint pain.

How is arthritis diagnosed?

In-office blood testing is performed to determine the type of arthritis and rule out any underlying medical causes. The specialists also engage you in a thorough discussion of your symptoms, and a thorough examination is performed.

What are the treatment options available?

Prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs are recommended to help in reducing inflammation and managing pain. The health care providers also advise you to stay physically active to promote flexibility and muscle strength at the joints. In case the treatment options above are not effective, steroid injections are given to reduce joint inflammation. Steroid injections are found to be effective in alleviating knee and shoulder pain. Additionally, physical therapy may also be encouraged to increase the flexibility of your joint muscles.

Suppose you are living around the east village, you do not have to persevere the arthritis pain. Instead, consult Matt Pabis, MD today to learn more about the various treatment options available to help you get your life back.