Browsing by Subject "degenerative joint disease"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Osteoarthritis/DJD. What can you do?
    (2009-05-04) Kushnaryov, Anton
    Osteoarthritis or Degenerative Joint Disease is a common problem affecting many people. Although there is no cure, many treatment options are available to help treat the pain and disability associated with this condition. These include exercise, weight loss, topical and oral pain medications, joint injections and surgery. Glucosamine sulfate is an over-the-counter remedy that scientific research has conflicting conclusions regarding. Presently, it is unclear whether or not glucosamine sulfate can help the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Osteoarthritis: A Patient Guide
    (2010-10-29) Morrow, Shauna
    Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disorder of the joints and is the most common cause of arthritis in adults. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), occurs because of “wear and tear” of the joints that is often related to increased stress on the joint or injury to the joint. However, in many cases, OA occurs simply in relation to aging. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that protects the edges of our bones wears away and causes irritation of the underlying bone. As a result, moving the joint becomes more painful. Risk factors for OA include obesity, heredity, joint injury, and increased stress on the joint. Symptoms of OA include joint stiffness that improves with exercise, pain that worsens with use of the joint, and possibly joint enlargement. The knee is the most commonly affected joint in OA, but joints of the hands, feet, hips, and spine may also be involved. Treatment is largely aimed at relieving pain associated with OA. Initial treatments include weight loss, physical therapy and exercises, and joint braces. Therapeutic medications include acetaminophen, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, and topical medicines. Patients may receive steroid or viscous injections in a single joint for temporary relief. If these interventions are not helpful, a patient may be referred to an orthopaedic surgeon for further management and possible surgery.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Why does my knee hurt?
    (2010-09-15) Clay, Ryan
    Osteoarthritis of the knee is an increasingly common cause of knee pain and disability. Once rest, icing, exercises and pain medicines have failed, many turn to knee injections. Steroid injections have long been the standard therapy for pain reduction, but the benefits are often limited to one to two months, and it is not recommended to have more than three to four steroid injections in the same knee. Hyaluronic acid injections – a synthetic joint lubricant – have been shown to have milder, but longer-lasting pain relief than steroid injections, and may slow the progression of knee degeneration.