Osteoarthritis Treatment in Northeast PA

Osteoarthritis Relief Without Going Under the Knife

Osteoarthritis treatment

It doesn’t matter if you’re young, old, or somewhere in between – arthritis can affect everyone. According to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately 54 million adults and almost 300,000 children have been diagnosed with arthritis. An estimated 78 million people may receive the diagnosis by the year 2040.

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This disease occurs when the cartilage begins to deteriorate and causes less of a cushioning between the ends of the joint bones. It changes the consistency of the synovial fluid surrounding your joint. As the fluid changes, the space between the ends of the bone decreases, leading your bones to rub together. This occurrence is commonly known as “bone-on-bone” osteoarthritis. The more friction, the more your cartilage breaks down. The more your cartilage breaks down, and the fluid will change, further decreasing the space around the joint.

Why Does Cartilage Wear Away?

Cartilage has many functions in your joints. It not only supports the structure of the joint, but it also allows your joints to move freely. It can protect your bones and muscles from damage by absorbing a shock. And it serves as a cushion where your bones or muscles are attached. So you can imagine what can occur with the loss of this substance!

Some of the most common causes that lead to cartilage loss range from obesity and age to a previous injury. The damage is classified into grades, depending on its severity of loss:

  • Grade 0 – This is a healthy amount of cartilage
  • Grade 1 – The cartilage shows minor damage in one spot
  • Grade 2 – There is a presence of small tears in the cartilage
  • Grade 3 – There is a presence of deep lesions in the cartilage that’s affecting most of the cartilage
  • Grade 4 – Exposure of the bone because of severely damaged or no cartilage

Traditional Osteoarthritis Treatment Options

Unfortunately, when your cartilage is gone, it does not grow back on its own. However, there are treatment methods available to help relieve the pain. For decades, the most common forms of treatment included medication, physical therapy, and steroid injections. And, depending on the severity of the cartilage loss, surgery may be required to replace the knee.

But there are several issues with getting surgery. Not all replacement surgeries are successful and may fail within only a few years. It can take up to a year to fully recover from the surgery, and the pain doesn’t always go away. No to mention the dangers that associated with anesthesia!

But finally, there’s a better option – regenerative medicine.

osteoarthritis relief northeast knee and joint institute

Osteoarthritis Treatment: the NKJI Way

At Northeast Knee & Joint Institute, we offer a minimally invasive procedure that requires no surgery and has been shown to be 86 percent successful in alleviating your pain.

Our treatment is a three-step process:

First, we treat the lack of synovial fluid in the joint. Your doctor may have tried something similar by injecting cortisone into the joint. But what your doctor may have neglected to mention is cortisone dries out your joints, making arthritis worse! It can also cause bone loss, cataracts, suppress your immune system, and elevate your blood sugar. At NKJI, we use viscosupplementation therapy. We inject a unique gel-like substance into your joint through special medical equipment called a Fluoroscope. The material is similar to the synovial fluid, so it can act as a replacement.

Once you receive the injections, next comes the physical therapy. Physical activity is key to your recovery. By exercising and keeping physical, you not only help increase the strength of your joint but will spread the gel throughout the joint.

NKJI offers a knee support device that helps increase the joint space. The brace will reduce the pressure on the cartilage as well as aid in the viscosupplement to bond with the synovial fluid.

And within six weeks, the pain will have disappeared. No surgery needed here!

Get Osteoarthritis Relief Now

Living in pain can seriously affect your life. It can prevent you from doing the simplest tasks. And with your choice being either highly addictive painkillers or an evasive surgery, you may feel at a loss and deal with the pain.

At Northeast Knee & Joint Institute, we’ve heard all the horror stories. We know the pain you feel day in and day out. And that is why it is our mission to help those suffering from pain to return to their lives. Don’t suffer from the pain much longer. Contact our physician today for a no-obligation consultation today. Medicare and most major insurances are accepted.

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