Arthritis Treatment
Once a diagnosis of osteoarthritis has been established, your treating physician at OSC will work with you to carefully structure a treatment plan.
It will be helpful for your OSC Orthopaedist to know the following:
- Do you have a family history of arthritis?
- What type of work do you do?
- Do you enjoy sports or hobbies that require you to be active?
- Is there anything that you want to do, but cannot do now due to pain or stiffness?
- What types of medication have you taken for your arthritis? How well did it work? How well did you tolerate the medication?
- Do you exercise?
- Do you get adequate rest and nutrition?
- Have you had any other treatment(s)? Did the treatment(s) provide relief?
After you have answered all of these questions, your specialist will discuss the different arthritis treatment options available. Most patients are started on a conservative treatment regimen, which might include a prescription for anti-inflammatory medication, Physical Therapy or an exercise program, use of a heating pad and lifestyle modifications. If this conservative approach does not provide at least some relief after several weeks, more aggressive measures may be tried. Alternatives include steroid injections or, for the knees only, injections of a hylauronic acid joint lubricant. Many people will find that at least one of these options provides some relief; however, if nothing works to relieve the pain and stiffness, surgery or pain management may be the only remaining options.
Surgery is only considered as an option for patients who have intractable pain and cannot function as they desire. There are a variety of surgical options depending upon the joint affected. They are:
- Knee Arthroscopy
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Total Knee Replacement
- Outpatient Knee Replacement
- Custom Knee Replacement
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Hip Resurfacing
- Anterior Hip Replacement
- Computer-Navigated Hip Replacement
- Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder
- Shoulder Replacement
- Reverse Shoulder Replacement
Make an appointment for the Treatment of Arthitis
Call (757) 596-1900 to schedule an appointment for arthritis treatment. Visit our Contact Us page for information on office hours. Our office is located in Newport News, VA. We are 40 minutes from Virginia Beach and an hour from Richmond, VA.
What Our Patients Are Saying
- It\’s my absolute pleasure to recommend Dr. Paige Tretter at the OSC Physical Therapy Center. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in therapy with Dr. Tretter and the Therapy Techs that she assigned to help me in my therapy. Dr. Tretter\’s expertise in therapy is a huge advantage to the entire office. Dr. Tretter has always been an absolute joy to work with in my healing process. Always positive, smiling and kind. Dr. Tretter and the therapy techs work as true team players with all patients, giving us… Read More
Regina D. McCallum – Physical Therapy for Arthritic Knees
- Hello everyone! My name is Bruce and I’ve lived in Portsmouth, VA for 25 years or so. I was born and raised on Long Island, New York. After the Marine Corps and Viet Nam, I settled in Richmond, Va. and graduated from University of Richmond in 1975. Overall, I’ve led a pretty rough and tumble life, convinced of my invincibility! Around 40, my daughter, Heather Elizabeth, was born in 1989. I had a son, Brian Bruce, in 1971, so I was no rookie to the dad-deal: wrestling, pitching ball,… Read More
Bruce Gordon Schultz – Carpal Tunnel & Hip Replacement
- About eight years ago, I had surgery to replace my left knee joint at a practice in another city. Six months later, the joint failed and I had to have it done all over again. At the time, I was told that my right knee would likely need to be replaced at some point in the future as well. Having had the bad experience that I did, I was very reluctant to have the right knee looked at when it started giving me troubles after a recent airline flight home. I asked a doctor at another specialty… Read More