Choices of Treatment for Osteoarthritis

After understanding more about osteoarthritis from the previous post, it's time to discuss about it's treatment options. How about diagnosing it? Easy, come find me or go see your respective doctors, leave the rest of the diagnostics to them, and follow the instructions. (It's our job 😉)
So, here goes.

Treating osteoarthritis is not just eat medicine and get well. It is more complicated than that as osteoarthritis can never be fully cured. (At least at the time of this post, no definite cure has been found)
All current treatment aims to improve the quality of life, slow down the progress and improve the repair of the already damaged joints.

The main approaches are these:
1. Lifestyle changes (I would consider this the most important one)
2. Non-invasive treatment
3. Invasive treatment

Lifestyle changes - As we have discussed in the last post, osteoarthritis is a degenerative process that is deeply associated with our daily activities. All activities that increases the workload or weight borne by the affected joint will inevitably worsen the condition.
If it affects the shoulder, stop carrying heavy things.
If it affects the knees, then stop jogging, running, squating etc.
Again, I'm not saying don't exercise, k?
(for the exercises suitable for those with knee osteoarthritis, please read here)

Even with proper treatment, one can't be expecting an improvement if there's no change in the lifestyle.
And if needed, supports are much encouraged to unload the joint off the weights. For example, walking frame, walking stick etc.

Non-invasive treatment includes oral medicine (ubat makan) and creams and gels (ubat sapu). Most of the medicine that we use are Non-steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and Steroids and other painkillers.
Their purpose is to decrease the inflammatory processes and reduce the pain.

However, Steroids and NSAIDS have undesirable side effects. In long term use, they bear risks of deteriorating kidney functions, and may cause gastric diseases and ulcers.
It is tempting for patients to increase the dosage of these medications by themselves, for the temporary relief it brings. But certainly that is very much not encouraged.

Some may ask, how about glucosamine?
Glucosamine may prove to be helpful to some, but not to all.
As for the earlier stages, glucosamine may provide some relief after taking for at least a few weeks. It may also be taken together with other supplements, for example, hyaluronic acid etc. But as for later stages, oftenly it won't be enough.

Invasive Treatment -- means treatment that involves sticking a needle, cutting with a blade (surgery) or other technique that physically enters the affected site.

Intraarticular Injections (Injections straight into the joint) is currently getting more and more popular among both doctors and patients as a preferred choice of treatment.
Why?
- They are fast.
- The relief is fast too.
- Last for a few weeks to a few months, even a couple of years sometimes.
- Less side effects
- Reduce the need for oral medications

And the last resort -- Total Replacement of the Joint.
In which the doctor will cut out the affected joint, and replaces it with an artificial one.
Normally, as all the above mentioned methods or alternatives have failed, or the progress of the disease has reached a crippling state will this method be used.
A replacement joint may last about 5 - 10 years (sometimes more than that) and that is why it is seldom recommended for younger patients unless so required.

Ok, here's a summary of the options:
1. Painkillers
2. Glucosamine, and/or other supplements
3. Injections into the joint
4. Joint replacement
Change of lifestyle is not a choice, but a must!!
Do discuss with your doctor for a suitable plan of treatment.

To avoid crowding this post with too many words, I actually shortened it to keep it short and sweet.
If you would want more details, do comment below or just let me know. I will try my best to provide the informations 😄