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Arthritis Richland WA: Post-Traumatic

Arthritis Richland WA

A great analogy goes like this. If you ran over a nail on a new set of tires, even if repaired, you have in some way weakened or disrupted the integrity of the tire.

Just like the tire, if your joints experience some sort of trauma or injury, you have thrown off the integrity of the joint. You may not experience arthritis right away and could happen decades later but you are certainly at more risk.

Injury to a joint can affect how it works, whether or not the articular cartilage was affected. This happens when bones may not heal the way they were originally intended to heal. This then mis-aligns how well the joint works, moves and the puts additional pressure on the auricular cartilage. Over time this mis-alignment will wear out the joint faster. This arthritis will progressively get worse over time.

What Causes Post-Traumatic Arthritis?

Post-traumatic arthritis is caused by the wearing out of a joint that has had any kind of physical injury. The injury could result from a sports injury, a car accident, a fall, a military injury, or any other source of physical trauma to the joint. These types of injuries can damage the cartilage and/or the bone, changing the mechanics of the joint and making it wear out more quickly.

How is Post-Traumatic Arthritis treated?

Treatment for post-traumatic arthritis starts with weight loss combined with low impact exercise to strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines are often recommended if you are able to take them. Arthritic joints can also be injected with cortisone or other substances. They act like artificial joint fluid. All of these measures are targeted at making the joint more comfortable and providing functionality. They can’t cure the arthritis.

Surgical treatment will be discussed when the arthritis progresses to the point that these measures are not effective in treating pain and maintaining function.

Post-traumatic arthritis progresses as time goes on. The joint surface wears out further with more use over the years. Fortunately, when the nonsurgical treatments are no longer effective, surgical treatment can offer lasting relief.

Arthritis Richland WA: If you suspect arthritis from a post-traumatic injury Make an appointment today.

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