Joint replacement: When should I do it?

Apr 18, 2018 | Hip, Knee, Shoulder

It is a big decision when you are faced with a major joint (shoulder, hip or knee) that hurts on a daily and nightly basis. It gets to the point where the pain and stiffness affects many of your daily decisions and can significantly erode your overall health. Health problems result not only from the lack of activity, but also from the effects of various over the counter treatments that can cause their own problems.

It is important that you exhaust all of the non-surgical means to alleviate your pain and improve function. I will go into more depth on non-surgical treatment options for arthritis in another segment.

Your surgeon cannot tell you if you should get surgery, but merely can tell you whether you are a candidate based upon your story, your examination, and your imaging (x-rays most commonly).
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How can I reduce arthritis pain on my own?

Apr 18, 2018 | Elbow, Foot, Hand, Hip, Knee, Shoulder

One of the most common questions I get in the office is how to make life better for the person suffering from arthritis without having surgery.

There are a myriad of options you will find on a web search, but there are some things I’ve seen as most helpful.

First and foremost is food! It seems odd, but I will have an entry that goes into detail on that issue, and treating your gut well can be one of the best things you can do for your entire body.

There are a number of supplements that are more natural and safe to use, and I will go into detail with those in a separate discussion, but turmeric, chondroitin and Vitamin D are more common ones.
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