Is Osteoarthritis Reversible?

Over time, parts of your body can start to wear down. That’s particularly true for your joints. Osteoarthritis — also called wear-and-tear arthritis — affects as much as 80% of the American population over age 65, although it only causes symptoms for about 60% of those folks. 

The most common symptoms of this condition are joint pain, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling. If that sounds familiar, come visit our team. 

Whether arthritis affects your hips, knees, or other parts of your body, don’t hesitate to see Dr. Halina Snowball. Here at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut, she can tailor treatment to slow the progression of your osteoarthritis and ease your pain. 

The permanence of osteoarthritis damage

Your body has incredible healing capabilities and, as a result, can undo the effects of some conditions. Unfortunately, osteoarthritis isn't one of them. That’s because this condition develops when the cartilage in a joint breaks down. 

Cartilage is one of the types of tissues the adult body doesn’t have the ability to naturally regenerate. And that means you can’t reverse osteoarthritis. 

That doesn’t mean, however, that you should sit idly by and let your joint problems worsen. While you can’t turn back the clock on this type of arthritis, you can potentially stop it from progressing. 

What you can do to prevent osteoarthritis from getting worse

A personalized plan can help you slow osteoarthritis progression while easing the pain it causes. For a lot of people, this means a combination of lifestyle modification and medication. 

On the lifestyle side, staying active and eating a healthy diet can help slow your osteoarthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight and stable blood sugar levels also make a difference. 

Dr. Snowball layers treatments tailored to you. If you have osteoarthritis in your knee that’s causing stiffness, for example, Dr. Snowball may recommend viscosupplementation. These hyaluronic acid injections help lubricate your knees so you can get around more comfortably. 

If arthritis is affecting your hip, she might recommend physical therapy to strengthen other supporting body parts. This can help offload stress from your hip joint, helping you move better and with less pain. 

Dr. Snowball also offers regenerative medicine treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy. These treatments show promise for alleviating osteoarthritis pain. 

Ultimately, you have options for slowing your osteoarthritis and soothing your symptoms. To explore those options, call our team at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.