Arthritis

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a chronic condition that affects the joints. While there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, the two most common types that people seek treatment include rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of autoimmune disorder that causes chronic inflammation in your joints. 

Your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue and the chronic inflammation damages the structure of your joint. This leads to chronic pain and a significant reduction in your joint’s range of motion.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that causes your joint structures to break down over time, especially the protective cartilage that lines the ends of your joints.

As cartilage breaks down, your bones rub together and cause chronic pain, swelling, and limited mobility.

Arthritis is a progressive disease and over time, you may find it difficult to perform your job duties or stay active.

How is arthritis diagnosed?

To confirm arthritis as the cause of pain and other symptoms, Dr. Hood evaluates your affected joint during a physical exam. He tests your range of motion and checks for areas of swelling or tenderness. Dr. Hood may use X-rays to get a better look at the structure of your joint. 

How is arthritis treated?

The goals of treating arthritis are to alleviate the severity of pain and other symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease.

Initially, Dr. Hood may recommend conservative treatments using oral medications, steroid injections or “gel injections” (hyaluronic acid injections).

He also offers regenerative medicine therapies, which involve the injection of stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to stimulate new growth of healthy tissue cells to replace damaged tissue.

For chronic arthritis pain not relieved by medications or other conservative treatments, Dr. Hood may recommend joint replacement surgery. 

He offers in-house knee replacement surgeries and can refer you to another specialist for replacement of your hip or shoulder. 

You may also be a candidate for Arthrex Intraosseous Bioplasty procedure for knee arthritis, a surgical procedure that uses applications of platelet-rich plasma or calcium phosphate to restore structural stability to the bone that is damaged by osteoarthritis.

Physical therapy can also help restore function in your joint before trying surgery or as you recover from a joint replacement procedure. 

Dr. Hood and his staff provide in house skilled therapists soon after surgery is complete to help you regain your independence. Schedule an appointment by calling the office nearest you or by booking a consultation online.