What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear on joints. I commonly refer to this as "putting miles on the tires." Similar to a new pair of tires on your car, the joints in your body may wear out over time. The time it takes for a joint to wear out is dependent on your genetics and how hard you are on your body. If we continue with this tire analogy, one tire may wear out sooner than another tire due to the types of rubber used to make the tire; but even the best tires (or joints) will wear out quickly with heavy usage.  

There are several treatment options for a joint that is wearing down so you should talk with your orthopedic surgeon regarding which treatment is best for you. Usually, with regards to hip or knee arthritis, the first step is to modify your activities and diet. Sometimes starting some gentle exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles around your hip and knee can relieve pain. Your orthopedic surgeon should ensure that you are at a healthy weight and that you work hard to keep your spine healthy.  

If these beginning treatments fail to make significant improvements in your daily life, then there are a variety of other treatment options including anti-inflammatory pills or creams and different types of injections. Surgery is the last option for end-stage osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. However, in the correct patient, this treatment can be life-changing. The goal of a hip or knee replacement surgery is to have a "forgotten joint" which means that the patient remembers they had surgery but needs to look for a scar to confirm which joint was replaced.  

Within the last 10 years, there have been large advances in the fields of medicine and it is important that you find a surgeon that is up to date with current best practices and that you can trust.