By Ryan L. Baker, M.D., FAFFP
“People with osteoarthritis who take part in their own care report less pain, have fewer doctor visits, and enjoy a better quality of life.”
Sore joints and an aching back are some of the most common complaints I hear from my patients; it’s every day, several times a day. Most often it turns out to be osteoarthritis (OA). It’s the most common form of arthritis among older people, and it’s one of the most frequent causes of physical disability for older adults.
Symptoms of OA can range from stiffness and mild pain to severe joint pain and swelling. The most common complaint I hear is stiffness and pain after getting out of bed in the morning. Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the hands, lower back, neck, knees, hips, and feet. It affects both men and women, and your chance of developing osteoarthritis increases with age. Before 45, it’s more common in men, and after 45, it’s more common in women.
The Arthritis Foundation recommends before you visit your doctor, keep track of your symptoms for a few weeks, noting what is swollen and stiff, when, for how long and what helps ease the symptoms. Getting an accurate diagnosis is the next step so you can begin a treatment plan that will protect your mobility and quality of life.
We can easily confirm an arthritis diagnosis with patient history and an X-ray. Then it’s about symptom management at that point. It’s all about how bad is the pain and how much can you tolerate. OA can’t be cured, but symptoms can be managed with treatment plans that include weight control, simple stretching exercises, OTC anti-inflammatories, as well as steroids for an acute exacerbation. Injections and eventually joint replacement surgery are last resort treatments.
The real key to living with the disease is the patient. In fact, research shows that people with osteoarthritis who take part in their own care report less pain, have fewer doctor visits, and enjoy a better quality of life. Don’t just ignore aches and pains. Arthritis is a degenerative condition, it’s not going away, and the whole goal is to be kind to your joints and delay the progression as much as you can.
Millennium Physician Group
Ryan Baker, M.D., FAFFP, Family Medicine
2299 9th Ave. N, Suite 1A, St. Petersburg, FL 33713
MilleniumPhysician.com | 727.655.9854