Arthritis

Age-related changes and injuries in your joints can increase your risk for arthritis. At DFW Spine Joint & Pain, Nikki Fox, DO, and Amy Gregor, NP, specialize in diagnosing and treating many types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The providers focus on minimally invasive strategies like steroid injections and physical therapy to relieve arthritis pain and inflammation. They can also recommend surgery when needed to restore your joint health. Call the office in Fort Worth, Texas, to schedule an arthritis evaluation, or book an appointment online today. 

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a group of conditions that cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in your joints. While there are over 100 types of arthritis, the two most common that affect people as they age are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis develops when the protective cartilage that lines the ends of your joints breaks down and wears away. That cartilage loss allows the bones to rub together, which creates friction, inflammation, and joint pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes chronic inflammation in your joints — inflammation results in persistent joint swelling, stiffness, and pain.

If left untreated, arthritis can worsen and cause symptoms that become debilitating. You can also experience permanent damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding your joint and deformities in your joint bones.

When should I seek treatment for arthritis?

In the early stages of arthritis, you may be able to manage your joint pain with over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. However, as arthritis worsens, these strategies may not work well.

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation for arthritis at DFW Spine Joint & Pain if you have persistent pain and swelling that interferes with your mobility and ability to care for yourself or enjoy activities, such as sports.

The providers offer diagnostic testing services, including blood work and imaging tests, to assess the health of your joint and determine what type of arthritis you have and its severity. Based on the results of your testing, the pain management specialists customize a care plan to relieve your pain and slow the progression of arthritis.

How is arthritis treated?

There are several non-surgical treatments for arthritis available at DFW Spine Joint & Pain. The providers may initially recommend prescription-strength medications to reduce joint inflammation and pain. If oral medications aren’t working well, you may benefit from minimally invasive injections that deliver an anesthetic medication and inflammation-reducing steroid directly into your joint.

Physical therapy is also beneficial for long-lasting pain relief. Learning how to do strengthening exercises in therapy and at home can preserve the health of your joint and prevent arthritis from advancing.

DFW Spine Joint & Pain also offers injection therapies like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) that stimulates your internal healing ability or a hydrogel cartilage substitute.

When non-surgical strategies aren’t enough to improve your joint health, you may be a candidate for a surgical referral. Surgery is also necessary if you have joint deformities due to severe arthritis. 

Call DFW Spine Joint & Pain to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for arthritis pain, or book an appointment online today.