{"id":71903,"date":"2023-09-26T09:06:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T15:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=71903"},"modified":"2024-08-05T13:17:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T19:17:42","slug":"education-and-activity-positively-impacts-joint-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/education-and-activity-positively-impacts-joint-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Education, activity can positively impact joint health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Movement
Movement is medicine. When experiencing joint pain, both non-surgical and surgical steps can be taken to alleviate pain. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If hip and knee pain is preventing you from doing the activities you love, health care experts want you to know that they have a variety of ways to impact your joint health and get you back on the slopes, track, course or court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell my patients, \u2018The day you stop moving is the day you start dying,\u2019\u201d said Dr. William \u201cBobby\u201d Howarth<\/a>, an orthopedic surgeon in Steamboat Springs and a member of the medical staff at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center<\/a>. \u201cIt really propagates a downfall in their life, and we don\u2019t want that. What we want is to keep our patients moving and active.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the first ailments may be joint pain or inflammation, commonly referred to as arthritis. Although there are many types of arthritis with a variety of causes, the most prevalent is osteoarthritis, which can occur in many of the body\u2019s joints. Symptoms usually include limited range of motion, stiffness, pain and swelling of joints.<\/p>\n

While hip and knee pain is most prevalent in people 50 and over, joint pain can occur at any age and be influenced by factors such as lifestyle, genetics, sudden trauma or forceful impact, and athletic history. Joint pain and the need for surgery also can occur from a single accident or just years of wear and tear.<\/p>\n

There are a number of components within joints. Cartilage is the firm, flexible tissue that protects joints and bones and allows the knees and elbows to bend. A tendon is the tissue that connects muscle to bones, and ligaments are the tissue that attaches bone to bone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re born with a certain amount of cartilage, and you can have pain at any point in your life because of a lack of cartilage,\u201d he said. \u201cYour joints need to move to stay healthy, which is a major goal of ours for patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next steps for painful joints<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When experiencing joint pain, there are non-surgical and surgical steps that can be taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are having pain, mention it to your primary care physician at your annual physical or upcoming visit,\u201d said Howarth. \u201cTypically, an X-ray will be completed, and if it shows joint damage, a referral can be made to an orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howarth said a number of things may then take place. Additional tests, such as an MRI, may be ordered, an anti-inflammatory medication may be suggested or prescribed, and physical therapy, as well as a brace, may provide some temporary relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want people to put off getting help because they\u2019re afraid we\u2019re going to jump right into surgery as a first option,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case. We\u2019re going to explore many other steps before we might suggest that.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Still, for patients who have exhausted other methods and are in constant pain, Howarth advises against living with discomfort for too long as it can lead to inactivity and loss of mobility and strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see many patients who have waited longer than they should have because they thought they were too young to get a joint replacement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If surgery is recommended, the entire procedure time can be less than two hours, with patients up, walking and climbing stairs later the same day. It involves minimal tissue damage and limited narcotic use for pain during recovery.<\/p>\n

Keep moving, stay healthy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To prolong the health of joints, Howarth recommends people:<\/p>\n