Osteoarthritis Specialist
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Rheumatology Clinic of DFW, PLLC
Rosy Rajbhandary, MD
Board Certified Rheumatologist located in Burleson, TX
Osteoarthritis mainly develops as you get older, causing chronic joint pain, stiffness, and loss of function that worsen with age. If you're finding that osteoarthritis is having an adverse effect on your quality of life, double board-certified rheumatologist Rosy Rajbhandary, MD, at Rheumatology Clinic of DFW, PLLC, in Burleson, Texas, can help. Dr. Rajbhandary combines physical therapies, medication, and advanced treatments like joint injections to keep you mobile and in control of your pain. To find out how you can successfully manage osteoarthritis, call the office or book an appointment online today.
Osteoarthritis Q & A
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a disease of your joints that causes chronic pain, stiffness, and weakness. While it mainly affects people as they get older, you can also get osteoarthritis at an earlier age if you damage your joints.
The pain you experience with osteoarthritis is likely to start as an aching and tenderness in your joints accompanied by heat and swelling. As the condition deteriorates, the pain becomes more intense and your joints get increasingly weak.
You might struggle to get up if you have osteoarthritis in your knees or hips or have difficulty with your grip if you have osteoarthritis in your hands. Many people find their symptoms get worse when the weather is cold and wet or in response to triggers like stress and overexertion.
The symptoms of osteoarthritis arise from inflammation that sets in when the protective coating of cartilage on the ends of the bones wears down. In the United States, around 32.5 million adults are living with osteoarthritis.
Why do so many people get osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis typically develops over many years, resulting from the wear-and-tear your joints suffer throughout life. Because joint wear-and-tear is something everyone experiences, osteoarthritis affects a lot of people as they get older.
Your chances of getting osteoarthritis are higher if there's a family history of arthritis or you're overweight or obese.
It's not yet possible to cure osteoarthritis, but Dr. Rajbhandary can provide effective treatments that keep you moving and reduce your pain.
What treatments can help with osteoarthritis?
In the early stages, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can keep your pain manageable and help control the inflammation. As your condition progresses, you might benefit from steroid injections into the affected joints or viscosupplementation.
Steroids have much stronger anti-inflammatory effects than NSAIDs, and viscosupplementation injections contain a natural lubricant (hyaluronic acid). Dr. Rajbhandary delivers these injections using image guidance technology for optimal accuracy.
If you have osteoarthritis, you might avoid physical activity because you're afraid it will worsen the pain. While overdoing it can certainly trigger a flare-up, regular exercise is vital to keep your joints mobile and prevent you from losing muscle strength.
Physical therapy is therefore likely to form an important part of your ongoing osteoarthritis treatment.
If your joints are getting stiff, painful, and swollen, call Rheumatology Clinic of DFW, PLLC, today or book an appointment online.
