What is the best treatment for osteoarthritis

1. What is the best treatment for osteoarthritis?

3. They simple answer is that there is no best treatment for osteoarthritis and every treatment approach has its positive and negative effects . • It is the responsibility of the treating doctor to outline all possible treatment options so that the patient can make an informed decision of what is the best treatment option for them. • There are many factors which can affect a patient’s decision to choose one treatment approach over another . • Amongst the most common point to consider are possible risks and side effects , (short term and long term) , possible complications , overall effectiveness and chances of improving , financial consideration , downtime and recovery time , whether they prefer a natural healing method over pharmaceutical treatment or a surgical approach , a quick fix versus prolonged treatment but there are many other factors influencing the patient’s decision what would potentially work best for them . • Let’s talk about some of the most common treatment options for osteoarthritis and one of the latest approaches using regenerative medicine , or stem cell therapy to treat osteoarthritis .

4. Usually when you have chronic deteriorating joint pain or stiffness your GP might order an x-ray and most commonly diagnose wear and tear degeneration or osteoarthritis . • Osteoarthritis has 4 grades from grade 1 to grade 4 and the grading is based on the percentage of loss of the articular cartilage , the hyaline cartilage covering the end of the bones forming the joint . • Osteoarthritis grade 4 is commonly referred to as bone and bone arthritis and the most severe form of osteoarthritis . • Depending on the grading treatment options might vary form initially mild painkillers to surgery at the end stage when pain can become severe or movements are so restricted that day to day function becomes very difficult . • Painkillers do not come without any side effects form potentially having an anaphylactic reaction ( which can be mild to severe) to issues like stomach upsets, stomach ulcers , blood disorders or liver and kidney damage especially if taken regularly and at a higher dose .

5. A second line treatment are usually nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ranging from over the counter Ibuprofen to stronger prescription medicines such as Naproxen or Diclofenac. • Common side effects can be nausea, vomiting , diarrhoea , constipation , decreased appetite , rash , dizziness, headaches and drowsiness. Other important side effects are kidney failure , liver failure , ulcers and prolonged bleeding after surgery . • The positive aspects of taking medication is the ease of use , accessibility , low cost and effectiveness in reducing pain in the short and longer term . • The next step up for a flare up or poor pain control of osteoarthritis is usually a Cortisone injections . These were given very liberally in the past but nowadays it requires you to sign a consent form where the doctor has to outline all the possible side effects .

6. One of the most overlooked side effect is cartilage damage , the result of osteoarthritis which we want to improve or alleviate rather than having the risk of further damage . Other side effects are death of nearby bone , joint infection , nerve damage , facial flushing , flare up of pain and inflammation in the joint , increase in blood sugar and tendon weakness or rupture . • The advantage again is cost, and it can cause pain relief to various degrees for up to six months . Please be aware though that most doctors would only give a maximum of 3 injections and Cortisone injections are not suitable for a long term treatment approach . • Other alternative treatment options are hyaluronic acid injections and PRP ( Platelet Rich Plasma ) injections . Both have the advantage of being natural and have very few side effects . Some people might have temporary pain and swelling in the joint and whenever you pierce the skin with a needle there is a risk of infection although this is minimal . The disadvantage is that the effect is only temporary and mainly only addresses the pain rather than tackling some of the underlying cause for osteoarthritis , the reduction of articular cartilage

7. I do think we all know the risks of surgery and the prolonged recovery time and pain associated with this so another treatment option which is becoming more and more popular due to its effective and long lasting results is Regenerative Medicine in particular stem cell injections using autologous material to help the body to heal itself