Influence of Birth Weight on Labor in Nulliparas The role of the fetus in the etiology of dystocia has received little attention, although fetal malpresentation and malformation are well-known causes of dystocia. Turner and colleagues examined the hypo
Evaluation of Hematuria Gross or microscopic hematuria may indicate serious urologic disease. However, it is not clear what degree of microscopic hematuria needs evaluation or which tests to include in the evaluation. Sutton reviews the diagnostic eva
Use of Ultrasonography to Diagnose Ectopic Pregnancy The development of high-resolution ultrasonography and sensitive pregnancy tests has improved the ability to diagnose ectopic pregnancy. Earlier diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy increases the chances o
Evaluation of Gallstone Disease Diehl and co-workers conducted a study to determine the relationship between gastrointestinal complaints, physical findings and the presence of gallstones. During a two-year period, 300 patients for whom diagnostic studi
Diagnostic and Treatment of Ankle Sprains Ankle sprain is the most common mustculoskeletal injury in athletes of all ages. Basketball players have the highest rate of ankle injuries, followed by the football players and croos country runners. Hergenro
Nifedipine vs. Ritodrine for Arresting Preterm Labor The beta-receptor agonist ritodrine is commonly used to arrest premature labor. However, its use is associated with significant side effects, including nausea, vomiting, palpitations and chest pain.
Effects of Estrogen Therapy on Postmenopausal Lipid Levels Heart disease is the cause of death in more than 36 percent of menopausal and postmenopausal women. Several studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy substantially reduces (up to 70 p
Coronary Disease Mortality and Changes in Risk Factors A dramatic reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality during the past 30 years has been well documented. To better understand the reasons behind this decline, Sytkowski and colleagues compared t
Chlamydial Infection and Pregnancy Outcome Cervical infection with Chlamydia trachomatis has become widespread. Certain groups of pregnant women are at increased risk of chlamydial infection. These include women under age 20, single women, women, of l
24-Hour Monitoring of Blood Pressure Up to 30 percent of patients with elevated blood pressure in the physician's office may have normal readings in other settings. Long-term follow-up evaluations confirm that end-organ damage is more closely correlate
Date: August 1, 2000
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a painful knee problem. It is also called degenerative arthritis or wear-and-tear arthritis. Arthritis is what happens when the tissue that protects the bones wears away. This tissue is called cartilage (say: car-till-edge).
What causes osteoarthritis?
Doctors don't know what causes joint cartilage to wear away. But they do know that osteoarthritis is more common as you get older or if you are very overweight. Sometimes a serious knee injury can bring on arthritis after a few years. How can my doctor tell if I have osteoarthritis?
Your doctor can find out if you have osteoarthritis by asking you questions about how your knee feels and by giving your knee an exam. Your doctor may want to take x-rays of your knee. These x-rays can help your doctor see how serious the problem is.
How will my doctor treat my osteoarthritis?
First, your doctor will try some medicines to help the pain go away. Next your doctor may want you to have physical therapy. This is a special exercise program with a trained therapist who helps you move your knee in certain ways. If you still have knee pain, your doctor may want to try knee injections.
Your doctor might inject an anesthetic agent. This is a medicine that makes your knee numb. It can stop the pain for a short time--maybe days or a few weeks. Another medicine, called a corticosteroid, can be injected along with the anesthetic. These medicines together might make your pain stay away longer.
In the past few years, a medicine called hyaluronic acid has been used for knee injections. Some hyaluronic acid is already in the fluid in your joints. In people with osteoarthritis, the hyaluronic acid gets thinner. When this happens, there isn't enough hyaluronic acid to protect the joint like it used to. Injections can put more hyaluronic acid into your knee joint to help protect it.
Hyaluronic acid injections can help you in several ways. They may give you more pain relief than oral medicines. If your doctor thinks that you might need surgery on your knee, hyaluronic acid injections can make the pain go away long enough that you might not have to have surgery, or you might be able to wait a while before having surgery. These injections can help the pain stay away for six months to a year, and sometimes longer. Unfortunately, these injections don't help everyone.
Hyaluronic acid injections are expensive. They usually cost more than $600. Many health insurance programs cover these injections.
COPYRIGHT 2000 American Academy of Family PhysiciansCOPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group