Helpful Ways to Alleviate Joint Issues

Guest Post by Elizabeth Carrollton

Joint issues, such as chronic pain, stiffness and inflammation in the hips or knees, can stem from a number of underlying causes, ranging from knee or hip injury to chronic conditions like osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. While the causes of joint issues may vary, many of the symptoms are common to most. Depending upon the cause and severity of joint issues, therapies and treatments that can help alleviate those symptoms range from non-invasive options to surgical solutions.

Exercise and Physical Therapy

Exercise is generally the first line of treatment for joint issues. Chronic joint pain, whether from knee or hip injury, arthritis or fibromyalgia, often responds to regular, low-impact exercise, and referrals to physical therapy are common in their treatment. Good joint function, support and alignment depends upon strength and flexibility in the muscles that surround them, so strengthening and toning those muscles with targeted exercise can relieve pain and stiffness for many, as well as increasing range of motion and mobility. While seeking the help of a physical therapist to address joint pain is best, regular exercise on your own, like walking, bicycling or swimming, can be of great benefit.

Medications and Joint Supplements

Anti-inflammatory medications are often very helpful in reducing the discomfort of joint issues. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, are often recommended, in over-the-counter formulations or in prescription strength. For joint pain that isn't helped by NSAIDs, corticosteroids are often used, either as oral medications or injected into the affected joint. Joint supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin — which have offered relief of pain and inflammation for many with a knee or hip injury — have anti-inflammatory properties and may aid in healing joint damage, as can topical creams and ointments.

Heat, Cold and Massage

Using heat packs in the area of your knee or hip injury can help relax the muscles and decrease stiffness, especially right before exercise. For acute knee or hip injury, ice packs are often applied over the first few days to alleviate pain and inflammation. Arthritis and fibromyalgia sufferers can often find relief by immersing affected joints in a warm bath.

Surgery

For chronic or debilitating joint pain that doesn't respond to lesser therapies, joint replacement is often recommended. While this can be an excellent option for many, it is one that cannot be taken lightly, since all surgeries carry a certain amount of risk.

Hip replacement procedures have had more than their share of problems in recent years, due to a flurry of complications, revision surgeries, and hip recall lawsuits resulting from poorly designed or defective hip replacement systems.

One of the more recent recalls involved the Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant, which caused complications in some patients. Among the most serious of these were cobalt toxicity and metallosis, caused by corrosion problems with this implant. Metallosis is an inflammatory condition that occurs as metallic implant debris collects in the soft tissues and can lead to tissue death, bone loss and implant loosening or failure. Discussing all implant options with your doctor is essential to help minimize your risk of complications.

Elizabeth Carrollton writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com.