Category: Osteoarthritis

If you suffer from osteoarthritis, you are familiar with how joint pain and reduced mobility affect all aspects of your personal and professional life. The chances are that you also know that this condition is challenging to treat and manage, which makes relying on pain medications the only option suggested by doctors.

While there is no definitive cure for osteoarthritis, there are several lines of treatment that allow you to manage your distress without medications or surgery – including Neuragenex’s Neurofunctional Pain Management protocols. 

In this guide, we’ll look at the risk factors, impact, and interventions for osteoarthritis, as well as how a regenerative medicine approach can help you ease OA symptoms and regain your quality of life.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most widespread form of arthritis, an inflammatory degenerative condition that causes the components of the joints to break down over time. Also known as “wear and tear” arthritis, OA today affects an estimated 32.5 million people in the US alone, and it is considered to be one of the leading causes of disability in the elderly.

OA can occur in any joints in the body, but it is more likely to develop in load-bearing joints and areas of the body that are constantly under stress. These joints include:

• Knee
• Hip
• Neck
• Low back (lumbar spine)
• Hand

As osteoarthritis progresses, it can lead to damage to the cartilage (the soft cushioning between the joint’s bones), ligaments, tendons, bones, and synovium (the joint’s lining). The breakdown of these components leaves the joints exposed to shock and friction damage. 

t also makes them more prone to inflammation, which can lead to pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion. 

As your body attempts to counteract the pain deriving from the inflammation and damaged joint components, you may also experience abnormal joint mechanics, “clicking” noises, joint instability, and posture or gait problems. 

According to statistics by the CDC, OA is estimated to affect nearly 30% of adults aged 45-64, and almost 50% of those aged 65 and older. Despite how common osteoarthritis is, diagnosing this condition remains challenging, and patients wait an average of 8 years to obtain an accurate diagnosis.

3 Categories Of Pain Mitigation

Many patients who suffer from the condition don’t know or understand their treatment options and often do little to treat it effectively. Whether patients refuse to seek treatment, or they know little about the treatment available, there are related risk factors that can and should be known by these patients. 

These modifiable risk factors, while various, all fall under three categories of mitigation: personal, clinical, and public. The more personal risk factors related to osteoarthritis include the conditions that can be altered by the patient to reduce the complications related to osteoarthritis.

1. Clinical

Clinical, modifiable risk factors are mitigated between doctors and patients and include prescriptions, therapies, and lifestyle education.

2. Public

Publicly mitigated risk factors also include education about the condition of osteoarthritis and have more wide-reaching, informative capabilities.

3. Personal

Personal mitigated risk factors require self-derived motivation to create an effect such as modifying your diet or lifestyle, which is often very difficult to do and even more difficult to sustain.

While it is positive that these categories exist as channels for education, without intervention and action through these channels, patients with osteoarthritis will remain undertreated. 

In other words, if patients are educated on how to treat their osteoarthritis, they may still do nothing if intervention and action are not pursued. 

This ultimately means that there needs to be a safe and effective solution that can at the very least help patients reduce pain long enough to have the motivation to make changes in diet and exercise that can help their overall condition. 

As we all know, it’s very difficult to want to exercise when you’re in pain. It’s also very difficult to be motivated to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle when you’re in chronic pain. 

Ultimately, the first step in the process is to reduce patient pain in a safe and effective way so that there is motivation to engage in a healthy and active lifestyle.

6 Prevalent Risk Factors Of Osteoarthritis

One of the reasons why osteoarthritis remains difficult to diagnose and treat is that there is no single trigger that causes this disease. Nonetheless, some factors can increase your risk of developing this condition. 

Some non-modifiable risk factors include:

• Age
• Genetics
• A family history of OA
• Hereditary musculoskeletal abnormalities, such as being born with thinner or weaker cartilage.

Joint injuries and trauma may also play a role in the development of osteoarthritis. 

Furthermore, a 2019 study concentrating on the mitigation of knee osteoarthritis centered its arguments for treatment around six prevalent modifiable risk factors, including:

1. Obesity And Overweight

Having a high Body Mass Index of 25 or more is considered to be a leading risk factor for osteoarthritis. This is because the extra weight increases the loading on weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. 

In turn, the excessive constant stress – which is significantly aggravated during movement – speeds up the wear and tear of the joint’s components. Overweight and obese individuals are between 2.5 and 4.5 times more likely than people with a healthy weight to develop OA.

2. Comorbidity

Some existing comorbidities have been seen to be linked to osteoarthritis – or are aggravated by it. These conditions include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. 

According to statistics by the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance, nearly a third of adults with arthritis are diagnosed with depression or anxiety, which is three times higher than the general population. Additionally, 61% of patients awaiting knee replacement surgery due to OA also have cardiovascular disease.

3. Occupational Factors

Some occupational activities may increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis. This occurs when you perform repetitive and forceful movements with your joints, thus putting the joint’s components under excessive stress and accelerating the degeneration of cartilage. 

Activities that are considered to be risk factors for osteoarthritis include sports involving jumping, throwing, and swinging motions, as well as high-impact exercises. You can also overuse your joints if you are a construction worker, dancer, miner, assembly line technician, or work in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

4. Physical Activity

As seen above, intense physical activity can harm your joints. However, having a sedentary lifestyle and poor conditioning are also risk factors for OA. 

Weak muscles affect how body weight and external forces are distributed during movement. In particular, if your muscles are not strong enough to support your musculoskeletal system, the joints become constantly overloaded. This shift in mechanics speeds up the wear and tear of cartilage and makes developing osteoarthritis more likely.

5. Biomechanical Factors

As seen above, some biomechanical factors, such as being born with weaker cartilage, are congenital and non-modifiable. However, some other risk factors for osteoarthritis can be easily addressed over the course of your life. These include posture problems, an abnormal gait (the way you walk), and improper form when practicing sports. 

If left unaddressed, these biomechanical problems cause some parts of the joint to bear excessive stress and become exposed to friction and shock damage during movement, which can increase your likelihood of developing OA.

6. Dietary Exposures

Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory disease, which can be aggravated by lifestyle factors that cause further inflammation. In particular, a diet rich in saturated fats, red meat, fried foods, dairy, and refined sugar or carbohydrates can speed up the degeneration of the joint’s components. 

A poor diet can also lead to other conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which are known risk factors for OA. 

Other lifestyle factors that increase inflammation and harm your joint health include smoking tobacco and consuming alcohol. 

While all of these risk factors fall into the categories mentioned above (personal, clinical, and public), the most imperative factor for all of these risk factors is that they have a potential for mitigation and assist in the treatment of osteoarthritis. 

For example, the risk factor of obesity is a factor that can be mitigated to change the severity of osteoarthritis. This risk factor falls almost entirely into the personal category, less so for education and more so for intervention. 

Suppose a patient is aware of and educated about the processes and their responsibilities. In that case, they have to maintain their weight: without personal intervention and action, the risk factor will remain, and osteoarthritis pain will not likely be mitigated.

While the study continues to address these risk factors and the importance of educating patients, doctors Tsvetoslav Georgiev and Alexander Angelov also conclude that “[i]n the era of age- and obesity-related diseases, the combined effects of local and systemic risk factors should be managed by combined measures”. 

Patients should be made aware that the effective treatment of their osteoarthritis includes educating themselves personally and with their physicians. 

At the same time, if patients do not make the right decisions and act for themselves, and they do not use “combined measures” to fight their osteoarthritis, it is likely that the condition will progress–and not in a good way. But what are these “combined measures,” specifically?

Interventions To Manage Osteoarthritis-related Pain

While patients follow their doctors’ advice, they often conclude that even while they do so, the pain and inconvenience of osteoarthritis permeate too much of their lives and they would like to do more. Doctors Georgiev and Angelov list the following interventions:

Femoral Muscle-Strengthening Physical Activities

Working with a specialized physical therapist can help you understand how to boost your body’s conditioning and strengthen your muscles in a safe, injury-free way. Over time, stronger muscles can ease the pressure on the joints, thus relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis. 

While femoral muscle-strengthening physical activities are recommended for knee OA, a custom exercise program should look at what areas of your body are affected by osteoarthritis.

Proper Diet

Some dietary modifications can help you manage your OA symptoms. According to a 2018 study, it may be beneficial to increase your consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (such as oily fish and fish supplements), keep blood cholesterol levels in check, and boost the intake of Vitamin K.  

A nutritious and balanced diet can also help you manage other risk factors for osteoarthritis, such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

Weight Loss

A 2013 study highlights how, for every 5 kg weight gain, the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases by 36%. If you are obese or overweight, following a weight loss program and re-educating yourself about food choices is essential to manage osteoarthritis. 

By losing weight in excess, you can also find relief from OA symptoms, especially in load-bearing joints such as the knee and hip.

Vocational Rehabilitation

As seen above, certain activities represent risk factors for osteoarthritis. While you may not be able to change sports or jobs, you can ease the symptoms of OA and slow down the degeneration of cartilage by working with an occupational therapist. 

A professional will instruct you on how to engage in lifestyle and professional activities safely, safeguard your joints during everyday movements, and prevent injuries or flare-ups.

Management Of Comorbidities 

Osteoarthritis is often part of a more complex clinical picture, which commonly includes disorders such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. 

Managing these existing conditions can help patients boost their overall health and quality of life, which translates into a reduction of symptoms and improved joint function.

Biomechanical Support

Biomechanical support, such as wearing braces for 7 hours a day, may be correlated to a reduction in pain, according to a 2017 study. However, this intervention does not improve the inflammation levels and health status of the joints.

While education and intervention about these risk factors can help to lessen the symptoms of osteoarthritis, the study also concludes that “[a]n individual risk factor modification program should be developed in accordance with patient preferences and habits, the workplace, medical history, and overall health condition.” 

Patients should take heart in the fact that, with the advice of their doctor, maintaining their osteoarthritis and lessening its impact greatly depends on the individual choices they make related to their risk factors. In the meantime, there are treatments for osteoarthritis, and they are just a phone call away.

Nonsurgical Treatment Option For Osteoarthritis

In the year 2000, a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of another nonsurgical treatment known as viscosupplementation was conducted. 

While the clinical trials of viscosupplementation were in their infancy, Dr. John Watterson found that “…the lack of systemic side effects and the potentially lasting effects make it an appealing option” (2000). 

The process of viscosupplementation is best described as an injection of hyaluronic acid which is a cushioning and lubricating fluid within the joint that creates a loosening and relaxing of the joint by giving it a cushion effect and taking the direct contact pressure off the joint to help relieve the pain. 

As I mentioned, this nonsurgical option uses a safe natural lubricating fluid called hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid has been USDA approved for decades, and Dr. Watterson attests to this benefit by stating that “[t]he US Food and Drug Administration approval of hyaluronic acid as a device has avoided the need for meeting the more stringent criteria for approval as a drug”. 

Decades later, the use of hyaluronic acid in viscosupplementation has remained an effective and affordable solution to treat osteoarthritis.

A Neuragenex Approach To Pain Management

Neuragenex uses this treatment for osteoarthritis as part of its Neurofunctional Pain Management treatment program; combining pain-relieving high-pulse electrical stimulation with specialized hydration therapy. 

The proprietary treatment protocol used by Neuragenex is called Neurofunctional Pain Management and is very effective at relieving pain and restoring health. 

In the case of osteoarthritis, viscosupplementation helps to create that cushion effect in the joint that helps reduce the immediate inflammation so that the other elements in the treatment program have an opportunity to take action. 

While viscosupplementation cushions and loosens the joints affected by OA, Neurofunctional Pain Management treatments further reduce the pain and help reduce chronic systemic inflammation. 

Many patients report pain relief after only one session with Neuragenex and comment on quality-of-life improvements that assist in overall increases in health, such as improved sleep and more physical activity. Patients experience greater mobility, strength, and restoration of the motor skills they used to enjoy in their daily lives.

Hundreds of patients who suffer from chronic pain (including pain from osteoarthritis) report relief after starting treatment sessions, making Neurofunctional Pain Management a strong and attractive treatment option for patients with chronic osteoarthritis pain.

Live A Pain-Free Life With Neuragenex

Neuragenex is pioneering the field of Neurofunctional Pain Management. 

The mission of Neuragenex is to relieve pain, restore health, and magnify the quality of life without drugs, surgery, or invasive procedures. It is our vision to be the first thought, the first choice, and the first step in the journey of chronic pain treatment.

Receiving a diagnosis of osteoarthritis can be a life-changing moment. The symptoms of this condition can change how you interact with your loved ones, determine what activities you’ll be able to participate in, and impact your emotional health. 

However, being diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) does not have to feel like a condemnation. With the support of your loved ones, adequate lifestyle changes, and a treatment program designed around your needs, you can return to making the most of every minute in your personal and professional life. 

In this guide, we’ll explore the important role of family members, partners, and friends in helping people with osteoarthritis, and we’ll look at how new treatment options can magnify the life of patients battling a degenerative joint disease.

The Internal Struggle Of Patients With Osteoarthritis

Especially in the early stages of the disease, osteoarthritis can be considered an “invisible illness”, meaning that the pain, discomfort, and fatigue a patient experiences are not outwardly visible. 

Just because these symptoms aren’t noticeable to others, it does not mean that a loved one with OA isn’t struggling. The first step to helping someone in your family or group of friends with OA is to educate yourself about the causes and symptoms of this condition and attempt to understand what they are going through. 

Here are some of the ways in which OA pain can affect the life of your loved ones:

• Persistent pain in the joints – Osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” type of arthritis that breaks down the cushioning between bones, known as cartilage. Over time, the lack of lubrication can make the movements of hands, knees, ankles, and hips extremely painful. 
• Stiffness and reduced range of motion – As the cartilage breaks down, the joints become exposed to friction and shock, which can damage bones and ligaments. This can lead to severe stiffness and mobility issues, especially after periods of rest (like in the morning or after sitting for a long time). 
• Swelling – Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory disease, which means that the body sustains excessively high levels of inflammation for long periods. The inflammation increases the blood flow in the affected area, leading to the accumulation of fluids and often causing severe swelling. 

Mechanical issues – Osteoarthritis changes how the joints move, which can add pressure and friction to joint components that should normally be unaffected during movement. This can lead to deformities and misalignments that can make it difficult for a person with arthritis to move, maintain balance, or remain flexible.

Patients who suffer from osteoarthritis are all too familiar with persistent pain, bone spurs, stiffness, and aching in various joints throughout their body. While the conditions of osteoarthritis and its painful symptoms are very real, patients may not always consider the effect that their condition has on their loved ones. The burden placed upon loved ones who care for them is more than just the physical assistance required to help them. It’s the psychological stress of wishing there was more that could be done. 

Many patients take this to mean that they are a burden when in fact loved ones see a problem that they wish they could help with or take away from the patient, not that the patient is a burden themselves. Patients should see their condition as a problem that can and will be treated in partnership with their doctors and loved ones. 

If patients of osteoarthritis allow themselves to be defined by their condition, they will allow themselves to be seen as a burden. So, while loved ones can remind patients that their condition does not define them, they may also wonder what they can do to help.

Impact Of Osteoarthritis On Your Loved Ones

The symptoms of osteoarthritis can have a profound impact on a person’s professional, personal, and financial life. As the disease progresses, a person with osteoarthritis will begin to struggle even with the most natural daily activities, such as playing with their kids or enjoying their lifelong hobbies.

The first step a loved one can take to help a patient with osteoarthritis is to educate themselves on how the condition works and understand how their targeted intervention can mitigate the symptoms and bring physical and mental relief.

Below, we’ll look in more detail at the impact of osteoarthritis on a person’s life.

Chronic Pain and Relationships

On average, people with osteoarthritis live approximately 30 years with the disease. Although adequate treatment programs can prevent the progression of their illness, osteoarthritis is a degenerative and irreversible condition. This means that the pain they experience is likely to get worse due to stress, lifestyle choices, and aging. 

Here are just some of the ways in which this pain can affect their lives.

• Interference In Sleep Patterns – There is a direct correlation between pain and sleep. In people with osteoarthritis, pain can become more noticeable at night due to fewer distractions, which makes it more difficult to fall asleep and get quality rest. This, in turn, can cause fatigue and inflammation, which worsen the symptoms of OA during the daytime. According to the Arthritis Foundation, up to 70% of people with osteoarthritis suffer from sleep disturbances. 
• Inability To Perform Tasks And Routines – Joint pain inhibits even the simplest activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, and bending down. Additionally, stiffness in the knee and hips can hinder balance and mobility, increasing the risk of injuries and falls. Because of this, people with osteoarthritis might struggle with daily tasks such as bathing, cooking, or driving a car. 

Difficulty With Touch And Physical Intimacy – People living with OA might have a reduced interest in intimacy and a lower sex drive because of the distress, pain, stiffness, and limited mobility they experience. Since 31-76% of people with arthritis report having disturbances in their sex life, it is important for partners to understand how OA is impacting the other person.

The Financial Burdens of Treatment

Living with a chronic and degenerative condition can put a strain on a person’s financial life. 

For example, the lifetime cost for a person diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis was $140,300 in 2016, a figure that includes an expenditure of $129,600 in direct medical costs. But the cost of living with OA goes beyond these figures. 

People with osteoarthritis spend a significant amount on specialist visits, medical tests, medications, and therapies. What’s more, looking at the non-medical costs, people with debilitating chronic conditions might be forced to miss days at work and deal with the consequences of lost wages. 

Other costs faced by people with OA include the purchase of special equipment, changes in living accommodations, and alterations to their house. 

Because of these costs, people with osteoarthritis might begin to experience a sense of guilt and start to see themselves as a burden for their partner or family. Understanding this can help loved ones create a budgeting plan and ease the financial pressure that derives from a diagnosis of OA.

Mental Health

Osteoarthritis can have a profound effect on the mental and emotional health of patients. This is because OA can put a loved one under significant financial stress and change the dynamics within their personal relationships. 

Additionally, the reduced mobility and constant distress might prevent patients from carrying on with their current job and impact their professional life or career. Chronic pain can also lead to social isolation and impact a person’s ability to enjoy their hobbies and daily activities. 

Over time, this can increase the risk of developing mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. For the loved ones of people with OA, it is crucial to look for signs of social withdrawal, depressive episodes, or isolation; ensure they are provided the necessary help.

What The Research Says About Living With Osteoarthritis

Initially identified as a specific disease in the 1890s, osteoarthritis has been researched in-depth in recent decades. Today, patients can access an unprecedented number of resources that can help them cope with their conditions. 

Here is an extract of what the research says about the impact of OA on a person’s life:

• Reduced self-perceived quality of life – According to a 2015 study, people with OA have a low perception of their quality of life, especially in terms of functional capacity, pain, and functionality. 
• Poorer mental health – Research published in 2017 shows that nearly 60% of those with osteoarthritis will develop a mental health disorder over the course of their disease. 
• Increased risk of depression – A review published in 2022 reports that the prevalence of depressive symptoms in people with OA can be as high as 20%
• Missed work days – A study published in 2022 shows that, on average, people with arthritis took an average of 93 days of sick leave in 3 years, accounting for an annual cost per patient of €2,594 ($2,747). 
• A major cause of disability – According to the CDC, arthritis is the third cause of work disability among working-age adults. It is also the main cause of disability among older adults. 

Higher risk of sleep disturbances – Research published in 2016 shows that osteoarthritis is linked to sleep disturbances and sleep deprivation which, in turn, are risk factors for increased OA pain and depression.

Additionally, a 2019 study concentrating on the mitigation of knee osteoarthritis centered its arguments for treatment around six prevalent risk factors including: “(1) obesity and overweight, (2) comorbidity, (3) occupational factors, (4) physical activity, (5) biomechanical factors, (6) dietary exposures” (Georgiev 2019). While all these risk factors fall into the aforementioned categories (personal, clinical, and public), the most imperative factor for all of these risk factors is that they have the potential for mitigation to assist in the treatment of osteoarthritis. 

For example, the risk factor of obesity is a factor that can be mitigated to change the severity of osteoarthritis and it falls almost entirely into the personal category for, less so for education, and more so for intervention. If a loved one is aware and educated in the processes and responsibility, they can attempt to help maintain the OA patient’s weight, without personal intervention and action on the part of the patient, the risk factor will remain and get worse, and osteoarthritis pain will persist. 

While the study continues to address these risk factors and the importance of educating patients and their loved ones, doctors Tsvetoslav Georgiev and Alexander Angelov also conclude that “[i]n the era of age- and obesity-related diseases, the combined effects of local and systemic risk factors should be managed by combined measures”.

Patients and their loved ones should be made aware that the effective treatment of their osteoarthritis includes educating themselves personally and with the patient’s physician. At the same time, if patients do not make the right decisions and act for themselves and they do not use the “combined measures” to fight their osteoarthritis, it is likely that the condition will progress– and not in a good way. But what are these “combined measures”, specifically and how can loved ones help?

Can The Presence Of Loved Ones Help?

If a loved one has been diagnosed with arthritis, there is a lot that you can do to help them make sense of their condition and avoid complications such as isolation and mental health disorders.

Here’s what the research says:

• Easing loneliness – A 2020 study shows that, people with OA often feel “lonely in their own loneliness” and are at greater risk of becoming socially isolated. Encouraging dialogue and being present for your loved ones with OA can help them feel understood. 
• Feeling understood – A poll conducted by Creaky Joints shows that nearly 90% of people with arthritis feel that their friends and family don’t really understand their disease. For those with OA, having at least one person who understands what they are going through can help ease the burden of always having to explain and interpret how they feel.
• Taking on a distinct role – A 2020 study explored the role of relatives in the management of arthritis. The findings highlight that it is important for relatives to have technical knowledge of the disease and take on a specific role to provide emotional, mental, and physical support. 

The 2020 study, which was published in the Patient Preference and Adherence journal, also highlighted the importance for relatives to participate in Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) programs and develop interventions to fine-tune the management of the disease.

While patients follow the advice of their doctors, they often conclude that even while they do so, the pain and inconvenience of osteoarthritis permeates too much of their life and they and their loved ones would like to do more. Doctors Georgiev and Angelov list the following interventions: “[f]emoral muscle-strengthening physical activities, complemented with proper diet, weight loss, vocational rehabilitation, management of comorbidities (especially diabetes and depression), and biomechanical support”. 

While education and intervention of these risk factors can help to lessen the symptoms of osteoarthritis, the study also concludes that, “[a]n individual risk factor modification program should be developed in accordance with patient preferences and habits, workplace, medical history, and overall health condition”. Patients and their loved ones should take heart in the fact that, with the advice of their doctor, maintaining their osteoarthritis and lessening its impact greatly depends on the individual choices they make related to their risk factors.

How Loved Ones Can Help Manage Osteoarthritis

No two people will see their lives impacted in the same way by osteoarthritis. Because of this, it is important to understand the unique challenges your loved one is facing. Relatives should learn to recognize the role they can play in supporting their loved ones by helping them manage their disease. 

According to research published in 2020, patients and relatives can use a joint approach to treatment and determine together how to better cope with arthritis. This approach includes clarifying everyone’s role, improving communication, and sharing information. 

Below are some practical examples that relatives can use as guidance to support their loved ones with osteoarthritis.

Building Acceptance For The Condition

Although a diagnosis of osteoarthritis can certainly be life-changing, it is crucial for patients not to be defined by their disease. Having a thorough understanding of their condition can help. 

According to a study published in 2021, the greater the disease acceptance is, the better patients will be able to adapt to their new life and cope with the psychological discomfort deriving from it. 

Relatives can help by normalizing the symptoms experienced by a person with OA, maintaining hope, and encouraging them to share their feelings. Looking at resources and treatment options together, and agreeing on suitable lifestyle modifications may also help.

Balancing Self-Efficacy With Physical Helplessness

For people with osteoarthritis, it is often too easy to be caught in a downward spiral. The trigger might be a negative outlook on life and a feeling of helplessness. However, this pattern can be broken by encouraging “self-efficacy”, or an “I can do this attitude”. A shift in mindset can help patients reduce perceived disabilities, prevent social isolation, and maintain a positive outlook. 

However, this should not be confused with encouraging your loved ones to “do it all” by themselves! Their symptoms are real, and providing them with the help needed can go a long way to help them maintain a normal life.

Acknowledging The Need For Help And Support

Beyond encouraging your loved ones to remain active and engaged, it is also crucial to seek the physical, medical, and mechanical help needed for them to remain independent in their daily lives. 

For example, you might suggest modifying the furniture or layout of their apartment to make moving around easier. Or, you can seek the help of home care providers who better understand the physical needs of someone with arthritis. If in doubt, consulting a specialized doctor can be an excellent starting point.

Seeking Professional Help Together

As we have seen above, people with osteoarthritis are at greater risk of developing mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Although you might be doing your best to keep them engaged, socially active, and healthy, it is important to know when professional help might be needed. 

Some resources you could look at to find professional support include the following:

• Occupational Therapists – Occupational therapy can help your loved ones cope with the consequences of OA on their daily life, activities, and career. Occupational therapists can offer guidance on how to protect their joints and modify their favorite activities to allow for the limitations caused by arthritis. 
• Mental Health Professionals – Mental health professionals play a vital role in supporting the psychological and emotional health of people with a chronic disease. They can help your loved one better cope with the impact of OA on their mental health and prevent the emergence of disorders such as depression. 
• Support Groups – While your loved one might feel alone when battling OA, it is important to remember that this disease affects nearly 33 million people just in the US. Connecting with people who have the same disease can improve your loved one’s mood, ease loneliness, and equip them with new tools to cope with their disease. 
• Medical Resources – Having a technical knowledge of what osteoarthritis is and how it manifests is the first step to finding adequate treatment programs and avoiding the feeling of helplessness.

Discussing Treatment Options

Discussing treatment options with your loved ones is certainly a delicate task, especially as both the benefits and the risks of each therapy should be taken into account. When looking into valid therapies, it is important to look beyond traditional approaches and explore alternatives to NSAIDs, opioids, pain relievers, or surgery.

Today, there are valid treatment options for osteoarthritis that are sustainable in the long term and can help your loved ones regain a high quality of life. Let’s look at the options in more detail below.

Encouraging New Treatments For Osteoarthritis

When dealing with constant pain, it is easy for your loved ones to resort to what’s easily available: usually non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pain-relievers. 

While these treatment options might ease pain in the short term, they are not a long-lasting solution and, when taken over long periods of time, they may cause severe side effects, including dependency. On the other hand, patients with advanced osteoarthritis whose disease has not responded well to pharmaceutical treatments might face the daunting prospect of undergoing surgery.

In the meantime, there are non-drug, non-surgical, non-invasive, and non-chiropractic treatments for osteoarthritis, and they are just a phone call away.

In the year 2000, a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of another nonsurgical treatment known as viscosupplementation was conducted. While the clinical trials of viscosupplementation were in their infancy, Dr John Watterson found that “. . . the lack of systemic side effects and the potential lasting effects make it an appealing option” (2000). The process of viscosupplementation is best described as a loosening and relaxing of the joints that feel stiff and rusted over. This nonsurgical option uses a safe compound called hyaluronic acid. 

Hyaluronic acid has been USDA approved for decades and Dr. Watterson attests to this benefit by stating that “[t]he US Food and Drug Administration approval of hyaluronic acid as a device has avoided the need for meeting the more stringent criteria for approval as a drug”. Decades later, the use of hyaluronic acid in viscosupplementation has remained an effective and affordable solution to treat osteoarthritis. 

Neuragenex uses hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation treatment for osteoarthritis in conjunction with its pain-relieving treatment protocols rooted in the principles of Neurofunctional Pain Management. Neuragenex operates a proprietary treatment protocols called Neuralgesia that use the principles of Neurofunctional Pain Management by relieving pain with high pulse electrical stimulation, and viscosupplementation in the case of osteoarthritis, and restoring health with specialized hydration therapy that restores nutrient deficiencies responsible for exacerbating the pain condition. 

While viscosupplementation relieves and loosens the joints affected by OA, Neurofunctional Pain Management treatments further reduce the pain by using high-pulse electrical stimulation to produce a sustained depolarization effect of the pain neurons associated with damaged tissues, in combination with specialized hydration therapy, this combination relieves pain, restores health, and magnifies the quality of life of our patients.

How Neuragenex Can Help You And Your Loved Ones Manage Osteoarthritis

We fulfill our mission by providing each patient with a customized Neurofunctional Pain Management program that includes the use of viscosupplementation therapies, hyaluronic acid injections, electrical stimulation, IV therapies, and hydration therapy. 

We also provide each of our patients with tailored lifestyle counseling services, which can help them modify the aspects of their lives that are negatively impacting their health. In the case of osteoarthritis, we guide our patients in the process of finding a more balanced diet that supports health and lowers inflammation. We also provide specialized help for those battling risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, and we design exercise programs that help fight the consequences of a sedentary life. 

Thanks to Neuragenex’s holistic approach, patients can experience a long-lasting reduction of pain and can begin to restore the full functionality of their joints affected by osteoarthritis.

It is worth noting here that Neuragenex is dedicated to relieving pain and restoring health. The mission of Neuragenex is to relieve pain, restore health, and magnify the quality of life without drugs, surgery, or invasive procedures.

Many patients experiencing the symptoms of OA report relief after only one session with Neuragenex. Patients experience greater mobility, strength, and motor skills they used to enjoy in their daily life. 

Hundreds of patients experience relief from pain that is almost instant, and treatment is simple. Patients who suffer from chronic pain often report relief after starting our treatment sessions with even a single treatment event. Given a full course of treatment, patients may experience pain relief for several months without drugs, surgery or invasive procedures. I personally have seen patients experience pain relief that has lasted over twelve months, and many patients experienced relief ranging from six to twelve months.

By relieving the pain deriving from osteoarthritis in the long term, Neuragenex can ease the physical and psychological burden of patients with OA and their relatives and help them return to enjoying their lives.

Don’t Let Osteoarthritis Be A Burden To You And Your Loved Ones

If you have noticed that a loved one is struggling with the symptoms of osteoarthritis, finding a solution to ease their pain and mobility issues is of paramount importance. However, at Neuragenex, our goal is to look beyond simply easing the symptoms of chronic conditions – we also strive to help patients magnify their lives, regain mobility, and return to the activities they have always loved.

Give Neuragenex the opportunity to relieve your pain without drugs, surgery, or invasive procedures so that you can return to your daily tasks without interruption. The mission of Neuragenex is to relieve pain, restore health, and magnify the quality of life without drugs, surgery, or invasive procedures. We have a vision that we will be the first thought, first choice, and first step in the journey of chronic pain relief.

As we know, osteoarthritis (OA) affects around 33 million adults in the United States alone. Much like other chronic pain conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy, osteoarthritis is a chronic and ongoing pain condition that is exacerbated by poor health and metabolic disorders.

Pain prevents the motivation to exercise and creates a downward spiral of less physical activity and increasingly poor health outcomes. Osteoarthritis often manifests in large joints like the knee, where weight and pressure are persistent causes of the wear and tear effects of osteoarthritis, but it can also present initially in the fingers and toes of patients who have been diagnosed with it.

Over time, people with OA can expect to feel its symptoms in most of their joints all over their bodies. The symptoms of OA, when compared to peripheral neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions, are not entirely the same, and patients who are familiar with the nonsurgical treatments for peripheral neuropathy often look elsewhere to treat the conditions of OA.

Most Common Symptoms Of Osteoarthritis

To understand how osteoarthritis (OA) manifests itself, it is first important to clarify what OA is and how it affects the joint. 

Osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease) is the most common form of arthritis, an inflammatory condition that wears down the soft tissue in the joint. Over time, the excessive inflammation produced by the body breaks down the cartilage, which is the “cushion” responsible for keeping joint movements lubricated and friction-free. Osteoarthritis might also damage other tissues such as bones, tendons, ligaments, and the connective layer that lines the joint (synovium).

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but it’s more common in the hands, neck, lower back, and weight-bearing joints such as knees and hips. The symptoms a person diagnosed with OA experiences are unique and can vary in intensity depending on how advanced the disease is.

Just like in the case of neuropathy, the pain caused by osteoarthritis isn’t immediately visible.

Peripheral neuropathy causes tingling, burning, and numbness in the limbs. On the other hand, OA causes joints to hurt, be stiff, and throb constantly. Unfortunately, it is common to suffer multiple chronic pain conditions at the same time, such as peripheral neuropathy and osteoarthritis.

While there are varying treatment options for both of these conditions, both surgical and nonsurgical, the options differ two so much that patients suffering from both may wish to look for one solution that will treat the pain they experience daily.

Some of the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

Persistent Pain In The Joints

Joint pain is one of the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis, affecting over 70% of older adults. The pain mostly derives from the fact that the high levels of inflammation the body produces wear down the cartilage.

Although the joints are constantly exposed to low levels of damage, the body is able to self-heal to maintain the joints lubricated and protect from shock. However, osteoarthritis breaks down cartilage faster than the body can heal. Over time, this causes the loss of the protective layer between the joint components, causing bones, ligaments, and tendons to rub against each other during movement.

Additionally, if the cartilage breaks down in certain areas, osteoarthritis can alter joint mechanics. When this happens, bones and other components that should normally be unaffected during movement come into contact and begin to suffer the effects of shock and friction.

Less Flexibility Or Stiffness

As seen above, osteoarthritis can lead to abnormal joint mechanics. Misalignments in the bones can pull the ligaments and tendons during movements, or stretch them in the wrong direction. This effect, coupled with a loss of cartilage and synovial fluid (a thick liquid that lubricates the joints), can lead to stiffness and reduced range of motion.

Stiffness in the joints in people with OA tends to get worse in the morning or after long periods of rest. This is because during sleep or rest the muscles and tendons around the joints tighten up.

According to recent statistics, nearly 24 million people (43% of adults with OA) report experiencing activity limitations due to arthritis.

Popping Of Joints With Simultaneous Pain

Popping joints is something that occurs without pain in healthy individuals. Although the causes for popping joints are still under debate, two hypotheses show that the cracking noise might be caused by the release of air bubbles in the area between the joint (cavitation) or by the creation of a small space between the joint’s components.

While popping joints without pain should not be a reason for concern, if you are experiencing discomfort and pain, or you have a diagnosis of arthritis, you should not let this sign go untreated.

In people with OA, this sound is a symptom often referred to as crepitus, and it might indicate mechanical problems in the joint. The “popping” noise might derive from the bones rubbing against each other or from soft tissues (i.e.: ligaments and tendons) sliding off a bone structure and snapping onto another.

Although not everyone with OA has crepitus, a 2019 study showed that this symptom is associated with lower physical function, reduced quality of life, and higher pain.

Swelling In The Affected Area

Swelling is part of the body’s inflammatory response. When there is injury or infection, the body produces inflammation and increases the blood flow to the damaged area to provide healing blood components, such as platelets and white blood cells. The increased blood flow, coupled with a build-up of fluids in the surrounding tissue, leads to swelling.

However, in people with inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the body sustains excessively-high levels of inflammation for long periods. Beyond degrading the tissues in the joint area, such high levels of inflammation also lead to prolonged swelling.

Bone Spurs

Bone spurs – also known as osteophytes – are the overgrowth of bone material near the joint area, often caused by osteoarthritis.

Bone spurs occur when the body attempts to repair the damage caused by arthritis to the cartilage. These bony growths might be asymptomatic at first but, over time, they can compress nearby nerves, inhibit movement, create mechanical problems, and rub against other bones.

Some of the symptoms associated with bone spurs include stiffness, reduced range of movement, tendon and ligament damage, and pain. Bone spurs most commonly happen in the hip, knee, neck, shoulder, spine, foot, or hand.

Common Treatment Options For Osteoarthritis Pain

As we discuss in other articles, common treatments for osteoarthritis pain are over-the-counter supplements, hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation injections, corticosteroid injections, pain medications, and of course invasive procedures and surgeries like knee placements.

However, these therapies mostly focus on addressing joint pain, not its underlying cause. While they might be efficient in the short term, these therapies alone are not enough to support the body’s healing process and keep away the advancement of degenerative joint disease.

Below, we’ll look at the most common treatment options prescribed for OA and their implications.

Over-The-Counter Supplements

If you have been looking for a natural way to ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis, the chances are that you’ve come across over-the-counter supplements. However, it is important to understand that the majority of these supplements are ineffective, while some can unnecessarily expose you to severe side effects.

For example, nutraceuticals such as fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids), Vitamin D, and curcumin can have valuable effects such as strengthening the bones and reducing inflammation, but they have been found inefficient in treating OA.

On the other hand, well-known supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine are not just ineffective; they can also cause side effects and interact with other drugs such as blood thinners. According to the Arthritis Foundation, the American College of Rheumatology recommends against using these supplements to treat OA.

Pain Medications

Some prescription and over-the-counter medications can help you deal with osteoarthritis flares up in the short term. These include:

• Capsaicin cream – This topical pain reliever contains capsaicin (the active compound in chili peppers) and can help relieve pain in an area affected by OA by stopping the local nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.
• Pain relievers – Drugs such as acetaminophen don’t ease inflammation but reduce the sensation of pain in the short term.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – These are pain-relieving medications that ease pain by reducing inflammation and swelling.

Although these might seem like suitable solutions to manage the pain deriving from osteoarthritis, it is important not to underestimate the side effects of these medications. NSAIDs can lead to drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches, and can increase the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and stomach ulcers. Additionally, if taken over long periods, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also lead to dependency.

Some prescription and over-the-counter medications can help you deal with osteoarthritis flares up in the short term. These include:

• Capsaicin cream – This topical pain reliever contains capsaicin (the active compound in chili peppers) and can help relieve pain in an area affected by OA by stopping the local nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.
• Pain relievers – Drugs such as acetaminophen don’t ease inflammation but reduce the sensation of pain in the short term.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – These are pain-relieving medications that ease pain by reducing inflammation and swelling.

Although these might seem like suitable solutions to manage the pain deriving from osteoarthritis, it is important not to underestimate the side effects of these medications. NSAIDs can lead to drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches, and can increase the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and stomach ulcers. Additionally, if taken over long periods, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also lead to dependency.

Hyaluronic Acid Viscosupplementation Injections

Viscosupplementation therapies involve injecting hyaluronic acid into the joints to replenish the synovial fluid (the thick substance that keeps the joints lubricated). This gel-like liquid not only decreases pains and inflammation, but it can also make joint movements more fluid and friction-free.

In the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, viscosupplementation therapies have been seen to be effective in delaying the need for knee replacement surgery by up to 3 years, according to a 2015 study.

Although hyaluronic acid injections can be an efficient solution to manage the symptoms of OA for several months at a time, it is important to keep in mind that the lubricating effect is only temporary. To be effective, viscosupplementation should be coupled with other pain management strategies such as lifestyle counseling.

Corticosteroid Injections

If you have a type of osteoarthritis that does not respond well to other treatments, you might consider taking advantage of corticosteroid injections. Steroids are the man-made version of natural chemicals that are already found in the body and are efficient in reducing inflammation and pain for up to six months.

Nonetheless, these medications come with a range of side effects, including causing high blood pressure, digestive issues, and, in the long term, mood swings and muscle weakness.

Invasive Procedures

Joint replacement surgeries might be prescribed for patients whose arthritis has reached an advanced stage and has caused significant damage to the joint’s components. Also called arthroplasty, joint replacement surgeries involve reshaping or replacing one or more of the joint’s components to reestablish proper mechanics.

These procedures are highly-invasive and require months of rehabilitation and downtime for a patient to fully recover.

An Effective Treatment For Osteoarthritis Pain: Neurofunctional Pain Management

Neuragenex offers a non-medication, non-surgical, and non-invasive solution to osteoarthritis and other forms of chronic pain. Through the Neuragenex treatment program, thousands of patients have experienced relief from chronic osteoarthritis pain and reduced quality of life.

Neuragenex uses a proprietary treatment protocol to help people with a wide range of chronic pain conditions feel better and get their health back. Neuragenex has created a new category of medicine called Neurofunctional Pain Management, which is a combination of high-pulse electrical stimulation and specialized hydration therapy to reduce chronic pain and restore health and quality of life.

Here is how these therapies work as part of our proprietary pain management program, Neuralgesia:

• Electrical stimulation – the high-frequency electrical pulses act by “flooding” the nervous system, thus preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. The electrical current also stimulates healing blood flow in the area affected by OA and triggers the release of endorphins.
• Hydrotherapy – Custom hydrotherapy sessions can relax the muscles, ease the stress on weight-bearing joints, and provide long-lasting hydration to the joint structures affected by osteoarthritis.

How Neurofunctional Pain Management Can Help

Neuragenex is the fastest-growing pain management group specializing in Neurofunctional Pain Management and is pioneering the concept across the nation. Chronic pain management without medications, surgery, or invasive procedures is the preferred option for nearly all patients suffering from chronic pain.

Given the choice, most patients and their doctors would choose the least invasive and non-pharmaceutical route to manage chronic pain. We provide this option by combining a range of pain management strategies that leverage the body’s healing ability. These therapies include:

• Viscosupplementation
• Hyaluronic acid injections
• IV therapies
• Natural therapies such as high-dose Platelet-Rich Plasma and high-dose Bone Marrow Aspirate.

We also provide each of our patients with personalized lifestyle counseling services to help keep risk factors at bay that might cause or worsen arthritis. In particular, we focus on providing guidelines to live an active lifestyle, manage obesity, reduce exposure to toxins such as nicotine and alcohol, and follow a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

Neuragenex Aims To Better Your Life

The mission of Neuragenex is to relieve pain, restore health, and magnify the quality of life without drugs, surgery, or invasive procedures. This mission statement says it all. It’s what patients want, and it’s what doctors want for their patients. The vision of Neuragenex is to be the first thought, the first choice, and the first step in the journey of chronic pain management.

This is what Neuragenex is working to accomplish across the nation as the creator and pioneer of Neurofunctional Pain Management. We believe that every patient should have the option to try non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical, non-invasive, and non-chiropractic options first.

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects almost 33 million adults in the United States alone. Much like peripheral neuropathy, which affects the extremities of the body’s nervous system, osteoarthritis is a condition that often manifests in large joints with a lot of use and pressure, like knees, hips, ankles, and other large joints, but can also present in the fingers and toes. Osteoarhtritis is called a wear and tear disease, basically it is the result of years of use and pressure and likely resulted from some initial overuse injury or something significant that triggered the tissue to react to stress stimuli and over time that wearing and tearing results in osteoarthritis. With this description of OA we can see that it is an entirely separate pain condition from other common pains like peripheral neuropathy, and back injuries, and health or illness derived chronic pain conditions.

The causes of OA, when compared to peripheral neuropathy, are not the same by any means, yet the same treatment modality can be highly effective and patients who are familiar with Neuragenex electroanalgesia therapies and our nonsurgical treatments for peripheral neuropathy often are not aware that both conditions can be treated effectively. However, it is not uncommon for many patients who look for pain relief from multiple conditions find themselves being funneled down multiple paths and multiple physicians and treatment suggestions when they could consolidate that effort and find that relief with Neuragenex.

Before patients find their solution with Neuragenex, it is important that they recognize the causes of the condition of OA. After all, understanding the causes of a condition that affects your body on a daily basis is the first step in seeking meaningful treatment.

In short, the most common causes of osteoarthritis include:

Obesity, which worsens the condition after a patient has been diagnosed due to the excess and unnecessary weight and pressure placed on joints, creating increased faster wear and tear.

Overuse, due to working conditions in conjunction with age.

Pre-Existing Conditions, which is a wide range of possible health issues which can lead to the development of Osteoarthritis

Major Injury, which by many medical professionals can be seen as a sudden and extreme overuse or misuse of the joint.

Regardless of the causes of your osteoarthritis condition, Neuragenex offers a non-drug, non-surgical, non-invasive, non-chiropractic solution to this condition and other forms of chronic pain. Hundreds of patients have experienced relief from the pains and irritations of osteoarthritis through our patented FDA approved devices and treatments. Patients who may have been wary of taking medication or undergoing expensive surgery to alleviate their symptoms, can instead resolve pain and restore health using Neuragenex’s electroanalgesia technology and combination IV therapy to address nutritional deficiencies and improve overall health. Many patients experience immediate pain relief and regain better functionality of joints and limbs.

Neuragenex offers electroanalgesia and IV treatment sessions that are only an hour long, twice a week. Neuragenex uses patented high pulse electroanalgesia therapy to send high energy waves of electrical current that activate and heal the nerves damaged from osteoarthritis. Once tissues are stimulated with high pulse electrical current, the cells begin to revascularize and repair. This technology is not only used to treat the effects of chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis but other chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy and wide range of chronic pain conditions.

A study done by Clarence Cone, MD, PhD at the University of Virginia found that electroanalgesia technology used by Neuragenex has been proven to relieve pain and increase the growth and activity of beneficial tissues and cellular activity that will aid in long-term pain relief. Treatment sessions with Neuragenex often result in immediate and long-lasting solutions to the chronic pain of osteoarthritis all without drugs, surgery, chiropractors, or invasive procedures. Patients often express relief from the pain but also the peace of mind that they do not need to rely on potentially addictive medications with all the side effects, or surgeries that may not work or cause even more problems.