Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that most often affects middle-age to elderly people. It is most often referred to as “wear and tear” of the joints.  However, osteoarthritis is a disease of the whole joint, involving the cartilage, joint lining, ligaments, and bone. 

Despite it being prevalent in the older generation, it is not correct to say that the joints are just “wearing out”. Osteoarthritis is characterized by breakdown of the cartilage, bony changes of the joints, deterioration of tendons and ligaments, and inflammation of the joint lining.

This type of arthritis tends to occur in the hands, spine, hips, knees, and toes. Osteoarthritis is a main cause of increasing disabilities in people of advanced age. The goal of osteoarthritis treatment is to reduce pain and improve function. Many patients are taking their daily arthritis pills in order to reduce the symptoms of arthritis. There is no known cure for the disease, but some treatments are successful at reducing symptoms and slowing the progression.

At Select Health of the Carolinas, we have over 2 decades of experience providing treatments for osteoarthritis and welcome the opportunity to meet with you to evaluate your muscle pains and tendonitis symptoms and treatment options.