Arthritis Specialist

What is the most common type of arthritis?

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint disease can develop inside any joints in the body, especially in your hips, knees, hands, ankles, and feet. 

Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage — the slick material that helps your joint bones glide together easily — wears down. This leaves the ends of your bones grinding rather than gliding, leading to several potentially debilitating symptoms. 

Because osteoarthritis is common within the feet and ankles, you need to see a foot and ankle specialist for appropriate treatment. The doctors at South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers have extensive experience diagnosing and treating this and other forms of arthritis like gout and rheumatoid arthritis. 

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

The symptoms of osteoarthritis commonly include:

• Joint pain
• Deep ache
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Reduced flexibility
• Grating sensation when moving affected joints

Osteoarthritis symptoms peak during physical activity and usually improve after rest. 

Who gets osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis primarily develops in adults after the age of 50 and grows more common with age. Additional risk factors include obesity, genetics, previous joint injuries, and repetitive joint stress. 

Women develop osteoarthritis more often than men. By age 65, women develop the disease at the double the rate of their male counterparts. 

How is arthritis treated?

South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers prioritizes your questions and concerns, so they explain all the treatment alternatives appropriate for your type of arthritis. Your doctors enable you to make your own educated treatment choices. 

Some of the vast arrays of treatment options available are:

• Oral medication for pain 
• Custom orthotics for stability
• Special shoes for stability
• Physical therapy to improve strength and flexibility
• Occupational therapy to optimize your function 
• MLS laser therapy
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Stem cell therapy
• Corticosteroid injections to ease inflammation and pain
• Hyaluronic acid injections to lubricate joints

Conservative and minimally invasive treatments are usually highly effective in controlling symptoms and preventing disease progression. For the most severe osteoarthritis damage, you might need surgery such as ankle joint replacement. 

For expert foot and ankle arthritis help in South Florida and West Palm Beach, call South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers or book through online scheduling.