Osteoarthritis Treatments

Treating the Pain of Osteoarthritis

At Terrapin Care Center, our team of specialists helps patients reduce the pain they are experiencing from osteoarthritis with a variety of innovative treatments, all with a goal of reducing your symptoms, allowing you to stay active, and potentially slowing the progression of this condition.

More than 27 million American adults suffer from osteoarthritis, a painful joint disease that primarily affects the knees, hips and, more recently, thumbs. Osteoarthritis is caused by a gradual loss of cartilage from the joints and joint inflammation.

We use medical pain management, physical therapy and exercise to improve flexibility and strengthen the muscles surrounding the affected joints. Painful joints are moved through a full range of motion to maintain flexibility and to slow deterioration of cartilage. Patients who exercise regularly despite their osteoarthritis typically have less pain and better function than those who remain inactive.

Therapeutic exercise may include:

• Manual therapy such as manual traction, manipulation and passive range of motion exercises
• Flexibility training, including muscle lengthening, range of motion exercises, and stretching
• Gait and Locomotion Training
• Body Mechanics and Postural Stabilization
• Strength Training
• Cryotheraphy (cold treatment)
• Thermotherapy (heat treatment)
• Hydrotherapy (aquatic exercise)

Medical pain management may include:

• Custom made knee braces
• Ligament/tendon injections
• Hyaluronic acid injections
• Nerve block on knees
• Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA)
• Protein Rich Plasma (PRP)

Knee osteoarthritis is a treatable condition. Non-medical treatments like lifestyle changes may be enough to reduce symptoms in some patients. Still, more patients will find relief through physical therapy, steroid injection, and over-the-counter pain medications