We Provide Telemedicine to our patients. Schedule your Telemedicine appointment now.
Skip to main content

Causes and Treatments for Degenerative Arthritis

Causes and Treatments for Degenerative Arthritis

September is Pain Awareness month in the United States and has special significance for the estimated 32.5 million adult Americans who suffer from painful osteoarthritis.[i]

Sometimes also referred to as degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis occurs when the cushioning cartilage that lines the body’s joints breaks down. As it worsens, it can ultimately damage the bones of the joint as well.

Although it often impacts the knees, hips and hands, the pain, stiffness and decreased flexibility caused by osteoarthritis can occur in any of the body’s joints, from the neck and shoulders to the ankles and toes.

Is Osteoarthritis Inevitable?

Although it is true that osteoarthritis develops from wear and tear on the joints as we age, there are other factors that increase the chance of developing the condition. These include:

Although the body’s joints may inevitably get a little “creaky” with age, there are ways to delay and lessen the impact of arthritis.

Advanced Treatments for Osteoarthritis

For patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis, more medical intervention may be required. A pain management specialist can offer a number of treatments that provide long-term pain relief, including:

These interventions are all minimally-invasive, meaning they can be performed on an outpatient basis without the need for major surgery, hospitalization or lengthy rehab. They should be performed by a board certified pain medicine specialist who is experienced in using fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance to deliver the pain-relieving treatment precisely to the affected area for optimum outcomes.

Dr. Ioannis Skaribas is fellowship-trained and double board certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology. He has been performing minimally invasive treatments to address chronic pain for more than 25 years. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in employing the latest advanced treatments such as Vertiflex and LinQ™ to help his patients with complex chronic pain.

[i] https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm

You Might Also Enjoy...

Radiofrequency Ablation : A back pain treatment that works

Back pain is one of the most common reasons a patient comes to a pain management physician's clinic due to spine facet osteoarthritis. Radiofrequency ablation of the spinal facet joints represents the standard of care for long term pain relief.

An Update from the Expert Pain Team about Care During COVID

The headlines tell us that there is light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, with vaccine distribution beginning in the next few weeks. But it will be several months before the majority of the population can be vaccinated, so it is critical that....

Conditions that Cause Leg Pain

When people experience pain in their legs, it can fall into two major categories: acute or chronic. Acute pain comes on suddenly and is often caused by injury or damage to the bones, tendons or ligaments in the legs.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain

The body’s nervous system can be thought of as a “hub and spoke” model, where the hub (the brain) serves as the central control room that sends and receives messages from the spokes, the nerves in the spinal cord, skin, muscles and other parts of the body.

Interventional Treatment Options for Back Pain

The human spine consists of 24 separate vertebrae interspaced with cartilage, plus the two bones of the sacrum and coccyx. Supporting these bones are 23 discs, more than 30 muscles and tendons that provide spinal balance, stability and mobility...