Arthritis

Why does arthritis cause pain?

More than 100 types of arthritis exist, and all of them cause inflammation in the joints, resulting in pain. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It’s a degenerative condition where the protective cartilage in your joints breaks down and moving the joints becomes painful. Rheumatoid arthritis is another common form of the disease in which your autoimmune system goes haywire and attacks the lining of the joints, eventually causing them to break down.

What affects how much pain my arthritis causes?

Your age, genetic pain receptors, community, and activity level all affect your perceived level of pain. Having a strong support structure in the form of family and friends, staying as active as possible, and maintaining a positive outlook can help keep arthritis pain under control.

You may experience arthritis pain as acute, or immediate, especially if you’re having a flare-up. Most arthritis pain is chronic, however, meaning it lasts for at least three months. This type of long-term pain can affect your moods and quality of life, especially if it goes untreated.

How is arthritis pain treated?

At Alleviate Pain, Dr. Parmar offers all types of joint injections to help alleviate your arthritis pain. He often uses corticosteroid injections to help with the day-to-day pain of osteoarthritis. These medications mimic the effects of the natural hormone cortisol. Cortisol helps reduce inflammation in the immune system, so it helps alleviate pain.

Dr. Parmar performs these injections using ultrasound guidance, so the application of the cortisone is precise and effective. During an ultrasound-guided injection, Dr. Parmar uses a wand, or transducer, applied to the outside of your skin to transmit sound waves to a computer that create an image of the inside of your joints. He can then determine exactly where to apply the injection for the best application of the medicine. Ultrasound injections are especially beneficial when applied at the knee joint, but can be useful in almost any inflamed joint.

In addition to injections, Dr. Parmar recommends physical therapy, supportive bracing, and possibly oral or topical medications, as well as radiofrequency ablation. Radiofrequency ablation reduces pain by heating up nerve tissue with an electrical current, which ultimately decreases the pain signals of that nerve. It’s a minimally invasive procedure performed under light sedation. Dr. Parmar numbs the treatment area and inserts a needle through which a small amount of electrical current passes. You may have several nerves treated with radiofrequency ablation.

If you suffer pain from arthritis, call Alleviate Pain or schedule an appointment online with Dr. Parmar today to start managing your discomfort and improving your quality of life.