Arthritis

Arthritis causes throbbing, sometimes unbearable long-term joint pain. If you have arthritis symptoms, contact Kellie K. Middleton, MD, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Dr. Middleton provides comprehensive arthritis care, including physical therapy, medications, injections, and surgery. Call Kellie K. Middleton, MD, to request an appointment or complete the online booking form today to arrange a consultation.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a collection of joint diseases rather than a single disorder. Some types affect joints around the body; others typically arise in specific joints. The most widespread arthritis types are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis affects more people than any other form of the disease by far. It’s a degenerative condition that results from decades of joint use. Wear-and-tear erodes the articular cartilage protecting the ends of your bones, so they rub against each other. Inflammation sets in, followed by chronic pain, stiffness, weakness, and joint distortion.

Inflammatory arthritis

All forms of arthritis cause joint inflammation, but it’s the primary symptom for some. Psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis are common types.

In rheumatoid arthritis, your body’s immune system attacks your tissues. It affects 3-5 times more women than men and typically starts between the ages of 20 and 50.

Joint specific arthritis

Some conditions affect specific joints. A common example is cuff tear arthropathy, which develops in the shoulder’s rotator cuff — a web of muscles and tendons supporting your shoulder joint. It forms when rotator cuff tears encourage abnormal bone wear.

Arthritis symptoms worsen over time, causing increasing pain and disability.

What can I do about arthritis?

There’s no treatment available to cure arthritis, but you can manage the symptoms and delay its progress with:

• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for inflammatory arthritis
• Hyaluronic acid injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• ReNu® injections
• Steroid injections

Dr. Middleton uses ultrasound imaging to guide the needle when performing joint injections. This ensures treatment delivery right inside your joint.

Would I need surgery for arthritis?

You might benefit from surgery when arthritis reaches an advanced stage. Even with a comprehensive treatment plan, including the above therapies, eventually, you might find nothing eases your symptoms sufficiently. Dr. Middleton offers partial and total joint replacement surgeries, specializing in shoulders and knees.

Joint replacement involves removing damaged parts of the affected joint and installing artificial components. Partial joint replacement might be possible if only one bone is beyond repair. However, with arthritis, you’ll likely need a total joint replacement.

Dr. Middleton cuts away damaged bone and cartilage first. She smooths the bones left behind so the replacement parts fit over them properly. These parts may consist of special hard plastics, metals, or ceramics. Dr. Middleton can use bone glue to secure the new parts or may press fit certain components in place.

Call the office of Kellie K. Middleton, MD, to learn more about arthritis treatment options, or schedule a consultation online today.