Osteoarthritis is a painful condition that can affect any person. The most common group of people who actually suffer from this problem are the women in the older age group. This is mainly because of the degenerative changes that occur in women. Men may also suffer from osteoarthritic changes, but women are more commonly affected.
It is important to treat the disease as early as possible. This is because any delay in the treatment of the condition will further worsen the problem. There are various methods that can be used in the treatment of the disease condition. The first thing that comes to the mind of the physician is to give pain killers to the patient. This is because the main sign of the disease is that the person who suffers from osteo arthritis will have severe pain and the person will also suffer from loss of function.
Pain killers can reduce the pain and thus help to improve the function of the person. Other than pain killers, moist heat can also be prescribed for the patient. Moist heat can be provided through Physiotherapy measures or a moist heating pad can be used by the patient.
Regular exercise is also very important so that the patient is not suffering from chronic pain. Exercise will prevent further problems and also strengthen the muscles that are affected. The muscle strengthening will also help to decrease the pain and improve the function in the person.
Some physicians also offer surgical treatment as an option to the patients who are suffering from severe osteo arthritis. This is because of the fact that the joint that is affected may be damaged beyond repair and the only option available for the patient to recover would be surgical replacement of the joint. This will help to overcome all the problems faced by the patient.