From Our Blog

A common condition among older adults, osteoarthritis, develops when the cartilage that usually serves as a cushion in a joint wears away, leaving bone to rub against bone. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates that more than 8 million Americans older than age 45 suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee. Are you one of […]

Knee pain from osteoarthritis is no walk in the park. In fact, the pain probably keeps you from walks in the park. Could wearing a knee brace help you overcome this discomfort? Often, arthritis affects only one compartment of the knee. This can result in your lower leg angling awkwardly and appearing “bow legged” (varus) […]

Many individuals experience pain from osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, the “wear and tear” version of arthritis. It can occur in any joint but is especially common in the knee. Your knee is a complex joint where the thigh bone (femur), a lower leg bone (tibia) and the kneecap (patella) come together. These bones […]

Extensor tendons allow you to extend your wrist and open your hand. They run along the forearm to the wrist and then along the back of the hand. Because these tendons have little protection, they are quite vulnerable to injury. You could injure your extensor tendons in several ways: lacerations (for example, if your hand […]

Most people with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip joint never need joint replacement surgery. Surgery only becomes an option if the person suffers from severe pain in the joint that is unrelieved by available treatment methods, with a dramatically impaired ability to perform daily activities and marked joint instability. Simpler treatments to relieve pain, increase […]

Although some over-the-counter nutritional supplements have been advertised as capable of rebuilding cartilage in arthritic joints, the claims most often do not stand up under scientific scrutiny. To protect damaged cartilage, the most important things you can do are strengthen the muscles that support the joints in your body affected by osteoarthritis and make them […]

Do your joints crack and your muscles ache when you get out of bed in the morning? This could simply be a sign of aging, or it could be a symptom of one of several medical conditions that can cause morning stiffness. If it takes you longer and longer to get going in the morning [...]

More common among women than men, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which your body attacks the joints, starting as painful swelling in the hands and feet. Though it primarily affects people older than 40, it can strike at any age. And while there is no cure, treatment for rheumatoid arthritis has come […]

Knee osteoarthritis, common among older adults, occurs when cartilage in the knee breaks down. That allows the bones to rub against one another, causing pain, swelling, stiffness and decreased mobility. Drugstore shelves are filled with supplements containing chondroitin and glucosamine that promise healthier joints for those suffering from knee osteoarthritis. These supplements may sound like […]

For years, runners have been warned that their favorite fitness activity puts them at risk for future arthritis. Today, however, many experts say that is not the case. While some studies have suggested that athletes who train rigorously may experience eventual deterioration of the leg joints, others have concluded that adults who run recreationally are […]

More than a million surgeries are performed every year to help people suffering from arthritis of the knee. While such surgery is sometimes the best option, two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one in 2002 and one in 2008, found that physical therapy and medications can be just as effective as […]

Arthritis may be a joint disease, but strengthening the muscles is an important component in its treatment. That is because a leading cause of limited movement in people with arthritis—especially, for instance, knee arthritis—is the weakening of surrounding muscles, rather than pain, dysfunction or abnormalities in the joint itself. This raises an important question: Is […]

You and a friend both have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but your treatment regimens are very different. You wonder why, for are not all cases of RA basically the same? Broadly speaking, any incidence of RA occurs because the body attacks its tissues as if they were foreign bodies. This is the hallmark of an autoimmune […]

For people who suffer from arthritis, surgery using a compression screw can treat the condition in the foot and ankle. In this procedure, two sides of the joint are roughened, and the two bones making up the arthritic joint are fused, using a screw. After the area is immobilized with a cast, the body is […]

Here’s the catch-22 of physical therapy: Reducing pain requires physical work, but physical work can cause pain that makes it extremely difficult to do that work. Patients with arthritis of the knee joint often find that using a brace allows them to perform strengthening exercises more easily. But some people wrongly believe that a brace […]

If your doctor says you have arthritis in your knee, does that mean you will need knee replacement surgery? The short answer is not necessarily. Fortunately, your body can compensate for the loss of function caused by arthritic damage to cartilage and bone in a knee joint, even if x-ray evidence seems to indicate that […]

A decade ago, individuals who had osteoarthritis of the knee were limited in their options for treatment: anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, reduced activity or surgery. Viscosupplementation, a relatively new treatment involving injections of a lubricating substance called hyaluronan, has become available for patients who suffer from this painful condition or who are unable to tolerate […]

After receiving a diagnosis of “arthritis of the knee,” which is the most common form of osteoarthritis, you might be surprised when your doctor recommends exercise. Because osteoarthritis involves a progressive deterioration of the protective joint cartilage, the bone is exposed within the joint—leading many to believe that exercise would only intensify the condition. This, […]

The strongest joint in the body, the knee can bear forces of more than twice your body weight. When the thighbone (femur), knee and shinbone (tibia) are properly aligned, weight is distributed equally over the knee. However, degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis or tearing and repair of the anterior cruciate ligament can result in an uneven distribution […]