Arthritis Specialist

What is arthritis?

Arthritis, which has more than 100 types, encompasses diseases that affect your joints. The most common types of arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis causes cartilage depletion, which means the substance that cushions the joints wears away. 

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis develops when your immune system destroys your joint lining. This can cause joint deformity. 

Both of these types of arthritis can be very challenging to endure. By recognizing arthritis symptoms and starting a good arthritis management plan, however, you can escape arthritis pain.

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

Every type of arthritis can have specific symptoms, but some general signs of arthritis include:

• Joint pain
• Joint stiffness
• Minimal joint movement
• Joint swelling

If you have arthritis, you may find it hard to climb stairs, bend down, or make other movements. Chronic pain may hold you back from the things you enjoy unless you manage your arthritis properly.

How is arthritis treated?

At LiveWell Pain Management, Dr. Taha commonly prescribes a well-rounded arthritis management plan for each patient. Your particular arthritis pain management plan depends on your type of arthritis, its symptoms, and other factors in your life. Some common approaches include:

Medical Acupuncture

Medical Acupuncture uses fine needles to change the way your body perceives and experiences pain, so it’s a great natural treatment for many forms of chronic pain, including arthritis.

Ultrasound-guided joint injections

Joint injections, which contain anti-inflammatory substances like corticosteroids, can diminish the inflammation and pain of arthritic joints for as long as several months at a time. Dr. Taha uses ultrasound guidance to administer the injections into the ideal location.

Viscosupplementation injections (knee osteoarthritis)

Viscosupplementation injections add hyaluronic acid, a natural gel-like substance, to arthritic knee joints. These injections help to rebuild the cartilage lost to osteoarthritis and lubricate the joints, which then leads to decreased inflammation and pain.

COOLIEF* radiofrequency ablation (knee osteoarthritis)

COOLIEF radiofrequency ablation is a treatment for knee osteoarthritis in which radiofrequency energy stops the nerve signaling that causes arthritis pain. COOLIEF can reduce knee pain from osteoarthritis for up to 12 months and can be repeated as needed. 

These are only some of the wide-ranging pain management options that Dr. Taha can prescribe for arthritis. She commonly recommends a combination treatment approach to maximize your results so that you don’t have to rely on narcotics for pain relief. 

If you have arthritis, contact the LiveWell Pain Management office by phone or request an appointment online today.