Arthritis is a disease that affects the tissue lining of the joints, causing inflammation, pain, and in more severe cases, difficulty moving the joint. It’s not a specific, single disease – rather, it’s a relatively general term used to identify a variety of joint pains and diseases. Arthritis can be caused by genetics, injury, your immune system, or cartilage wearing down as you get older. People of all ages, sexes and races can get arthritis. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis — it is the leading cause of disability in America. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older. Some basic signs of the inflammation associated with arthritis include pain, stiffness, redness, swelling, and heat. These kinds of symptoms are telling you that something is wrong.
Are there different types of arthritis?
Yes, there are several types of arthritis. The two most prevalent ones are:
Osteoarthritis, which is the most common form, affecting millions of individuals worldwide, and it generally occurs with age. It often affects the joints we use the most – fingers, knees, and hips – and it can follow an injury to a joint, sometimes showing up years later. Osteoarthritis symptoms can usually be managed, although the damage to joints can’t be reversed. Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, and receiving treatments might slow progression of the disease, help minimize pain, and improve joint function.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis causes a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options dramatically, severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities.
What you can do.
The most important first step is to get an accurate diagnosis of what’s causing your joint pain and get to the root cause of why you got arthritis in the first place. There are many things that can be done to preserve joint function, mobility and quality of life. Learning about the disease and treatment options, making time for physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight are essential.
Here at Maragal Medical we offer cutting-edge arthritis treatment options, including regenerative medicine injections, to help you regain movement and minimize joint pain. These live cellular injections help to repair the defect formed from arthritis by replacing the damaged tissue with new healthy tissue to promote healing, minimize pain, and ultimately, help you regain full use and range of motion of the affected joint and preventing the arthritis from advancing. Regenerative medicine injections help to cushion, lubricate and protect the joint which will decrease pain and stiffness.
We offer a number of effective treatment options based on the condition of your affected joint. The most common types of joint injections include:
- Wharton’s Jelly Allograft injections for arthritis pain, specifically osteoarthritis, (some insurances now covering!)
- Platelet Rich Plasma Injections (PRP), which add 5x concentration of platelets, growth factors and fibrinogen. It is a well known scientific fact that wound healing of damaged tissues depends on the platelet concentrations. We also use PRP as a secondary injection to the Wharton’s Jelly Allograft to boost the effectiveness of the injection.
- SARAPIN® intramuscular injections for myofascial pain. SARAPIN®, which acts on the sensory nerves, has been used safely and effectively for pain management by physicians for over 70 years. Unlike Cortisone, which is known to carry some side effects such as elevation of blood pressure and weight gain, SARAPIN® is a biological medicine derived from the pitcher plant that has virtually no known side effects.It works by stopping pain signals in the nerves of the spine where they exit the spinal column. It does not affect any other nerve or motor functions, nor is it affected by heat or cold. Because of its origins, SARAPIN® cannot be patented, which makes it a much more affordable drug than most other patented medications and it’s covered by most insurances!
At Maragal Medical, we prefer to take the most natural approach to alleviating your joint pain. In many cases, joint injections are just one part of your overall treatment plan. Call our friendly, knowledgeable team for an appointment to learn how we can help you live without constant joint pain.