August 19, 2008

Joint problems common as one ages

Men and women over the age of 40 will begin feeling the wear and tear on their joints, much the same as a car’s brakes begin to wear thin. That was the message shared Aug. 18 by Dr. Gerald King, an orthopedic surgeon at Haywood Regional Medical Center.

“It affects almost everyone,” King said. Some people experience more problems with their joints than others, he said, because of over-use or injury.

Common knee and hip problems include inflammation and arthritis, both caused by wearing of cartilage, which serves as a protective cushion, King said.

There are about 100 types of arthritis, but two primary types — rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. The most common is osteoarthritis, he said.

Symptoms of arthritis includes: joint swelling, joint warm to the touch, joint pain and immobility, joint stiffness, deformity and impaired use. Getting a proper diagnosis will include range of motion tests, X-rays and other exams of the affected joint, King said.

Treatment normally begins with lifestyle changes, which include a healthier diet, moderate exercise, medications, supplements, injections, walking aids, rest and ice, and physical therapy.

A person should consider joint replacement when conservative treatments fail to provide relief and after discussing the options with an orthopedic surgeon, King said.

It’s important to be in strong physical condition, he said.

“If you aren’t strong before the surgery, you will have a hard time even with a new knee,” King said. “The force on a knee going up stairs is four to five times what a person weighs; so if you weigh 200 pounds, there will be 800 to 1,000 pounds of force on your knee.”

A joint replacement will not last forever, he said. The replacement will wear as well, depending on a person’s weight and amount of activity.

King performs most hip replacements from the front, which allows patients to recover faster, he said, with less pain and fewer problems.

Johnny Rogers of the Bethel community recently had a left knee replacement. The surgery was done on a Tuesday and he was released from the hospital the next Friday. By the following Monday he was able to drive a car, he said.

“Within six weeks I was back to dancing on a clogging team,” Rogers said. “The quickest way to recovery is to do what the physical therapist tells you to do,” he said.