Orthopaedic Conditions

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the end of bones in the joints gradually deteriorate. Cartilage is a firm, slippery tissue that enables nearly frictionless joint motion. Eventually, if the cartilage wears down completely, bone will rub on bone.

Osteoarthritis has often been referred to as a “wear and tear” disease. But besides the breakdown of cartilage, osteoarthritis affects the entire joint. It causes changes in the bone and deterioration of the connective tissues that hold the joint together and attach muscle to bone. It also causes inflammation of the joint lining.

There are two types of osteoarthritis based on the causes:

• Primary Osteoarthritis which occurs in old age due to continuous wear and tear, mainly in the weight-bearing joints: knees and hip.
• Secondary Osteoarthritis which leads to degeneration of the joint, for example, congenital dislocation of the hip, malunited fractures, etc.

At The Rehab World, osteoarthritis treatment includes a thorough assessment of the patient’s extent of disability & abilities. All the risk factors are separately assessed and along with the management of osteoarthritis, measures are taken to reduce the risk factors which are modifiable and hence help in better outcome in patients with osteoarthritis.

Some of the risk factors include:

• Old Age (non-modifiable): The risk of developing Osteoarthritis increases with age.
• Gender (non-modifiable): Women are more likely to develop OA than men, especially after age 50, though it isn’t clear why.
• Obesity (modifiable): Extra weight puts more stress on joints, particularly weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees. This stress increases the risk of Osteoarthritis in that joint. Obesity may also have metabolic effects that increase the risk of Osteoarthritis.
• Joint injury or overuse (modifiable): These Injuries occur from an accident and other injuries such as knee bending and repetitive stress on a joint, can damage a joint and increase the risk of Osteoarthritis in that joint.
• Sports injury (modifiable): Sports which includes repetitive impact and twisting, e.g., football, baseball pitching, etc.
• Genetics (non-modifiable): Some People who have family members with Osteoarthritis inherit a tendency to develop Osteoarthritis.
• Occupation (modifiable): Jobs that require repetitive kneeling and squatting with heavy lifting. 
• Weak muscles (modifiable): Joints can get out of the right position when there’s not enough support.
• Born deformities: Some people are born with malformed joints or defective cartilage.

During the early stages, the joint is usually asymptomatic as cartilage does not have blood supply and nerve supply but pain becomes constant in later stages. Symptoms tend to build over time rather than show up suddenly. They include:

• Pain or aching in the joint- It is one of the earliest symptoms. Pain occurs intermittently in the beginning, but becomes constant over months or years. Initially, it is dull pain and comes on starting an activity after a period of rest; but later it becomes worse and cramp-like, and comes after activity.  
• Joint stiffness usually occurs first thing in the morning or after resting.
• Limited range of motion that may go away after movement.
• Clicking or cracking sound when a joint bends.
• Swelling around a joint.
• Muscle weakness around the joint.
• Joint instability or buckling (knee gives out).
• In the worst case, the patient is no longer able to do daily tasks or work.

Osteoarthritis symptoms can usually be managed by staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and some treatment might slow progression of the disease.

Although there are no definitive curative treatments available for Osteoarthritis, below options are available to manage the symptoms

• Medication
• Rehabilitation
• Corrective surgeries in severe cases

In osteoarthritis efforts are directed to delay the occurrence, to stop progress of the disease if it is in early stages or to rehabilitate the patient, with or without surgery, if the disabilities can be partially or completely alleviated.

Osteoarthritis Treatment at The Rehab World

Osteoarthritis treatment at The Rehab World, includes rehabilitation therapies that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress which in turn reduces pain and muscle spasm and enables a pain free and better quality of life. Most importantly, these therapies are all safe and well tolerated.

The Rehabilitation Therapies for Osteoarthritis at The Rehab World

Rehabilitation plays a very important role in treatment of Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) causes reduced muscle strength (particularly in those muscles around the affected joint), decreased flexibility, weight gain, limitation in the ability to do Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and often compromised mobility. Rehabilitation is important to maintain muscle strength and to help identify factors that are contributing to an increase in the rate of  this wear and tear. The rehabilitative therapies available at The Rehab World, India, for osteoarthritis include:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Yoga Therapy
• Diet and Nutrition Therapy

The above rehabilitation therapies promote the overall well-being of the patient with osteoarthritis by catering to their specific needs. At The Rehab World, we have a team of experts ready to serve you, all under one roof. They are available to provide their expertise through Tele Services, Home Visits as well as Centre visits. They work in cohesion to personalize a plan of care which will give u a pain free life and helps in improving quality of life.

At The Rehab World, we provide a treatment plan with the objective of yielding a variety of benefits. While the degree of improvement varies from person to person, here are some of the benefits of rehabilitation therapies by the experts at The Rehab World:

• Decrease Joint pain
• Decrease stiffness
• Increase range of motion of the joint involved.
• Decreased fatigue
• Improved stamina
• Improved immunity
• Improved range of motion at spine.