Arthritis

What is arthritis?

Arthritis encompasses more than 100 different diseases that typically cause pain, swelling, and stiffness in or around your joints. More than 1 in 3 people across the United States, of all ages, experience the misery of arthritis every year.

Depending on the type of arthritis you have, it could affect one joint or many. The most common forms of arthritis tend to be worse in your hands, knees, hips, and shoulders. It's common for the pain and disability of arthritis to result in psychological health issues as well as physical problems.

Arthritis is a long-term problem that makes it hard to perform your daily activities and can cause severe disability. You might struggle to get up, find it a challenge to climb stairs, and have difficulty using your hands.

The pain and stiffness you feel are likely to go through a cycle of flaring up and easing off, often in line with triggers like stress, overexertion, and changes in the weather.

What causes arthritis?

The different types of arthritis have varying causes. Osteoarthritis, for example, is most often brought on by wear-and-tear on your joints over the years. Rheumatoid arthritis develops when your immune system destroys cells in your joint linings.

You're more likely to get arthritis if there's a history of it in your family. Other potential risk factors for some types of arthritis include:

• Joint overuse or injury
• Advancing age
• Being overweight or obese
• Having certain genetic and metabolic diseases

Women develop arthritis almost three times as often as men, but no one is immune to the disease. The sooner you receive expert care at TruWell Health for joint pain and stiffness, the better your outcome is likely to be.

How is arthritis treated?

TruWell Health specializes in using a nonsurgical treatment program called the Advanced Arthritis Relief Protocol™ (AARP). They are one of only around 50 clinics offering AARP nationwide.

The comprehensive AARP treatment protocol includes:

• Fluoroscopically guided hyaluronic acid injections
• Physical therapy
• Off-loading brace
• Home exercise machine

TruWell Health provides AARP for any patients who have arthritis, with a focus on knee pain relief.

Your arthritis treatment might also include other therapies, such as IV vitamin infusions to boost your overall health and help reduce inflammation, and physical therapies, among them ultrasound heat therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

Regenerative medicine techniques like stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy could also help by rebuilding cartilage cells in arthritic joints, suppressing the inflammation that worsens the symptoms of osteoarthritis, and slowing the breakdown of cartilage.

Find out more about the cutting-edge treatment options available for arthritis by calling TruWell Health today or book an appointment online.