Arthritis

Arthritis is when the joint becomes painful and swollen. There are many potential pathways for this to happen. Some are purely based on mechanical issues but some are not. If there is an inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, this can often be successfully treated and managed with the help of a rheumatologist.

Often early on, when someone has arthritic symptoms, they first see an orthopedic surgeon. It is important for the orthopedic surgeon to recognize when a form of arthritis is not purely a mechanical issue so that they can be seen by a rheumatologist and have a discussion as to what medication options exist that can prevent the progression of the arthritis. At this point in time, there is no medication that will predictably reverse arthritic damage, but there are medications that can prevent the progression of an inflammatory arthritis.

Connective Tissue Disorders

Sometimes nature has the tissues that hold our joints together far more loosely than average. As a result the joints can be looser and more unstable than typical. This can lead to pain and with activities that one would not expect to cause that. When this is going on, often the usual and typical forms of treatment may not work, or may not work to the degree that you would hope for. It is important, therefore, to recognize when someone has tissues that are looser than typical in order to be able to tailor their care appropriately. Additionally, there are often other health issues that are related to having a connective tissue disorder that must be taken into account. The most common version of this condition is called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, although there are others that have different names.

Bowlegs/Knock Knees

Some times, the legs will be relatively crooked either by nature or from an injury. in the same way that if the wheels of a car are not aligned properly they will wear out unevenly and prematurely, the same is true for the joints in the body if they are very far out of their normal alignment. As a result, sometimes it becomes recommended to realign somebody’s legs to make them straight. When a person is still growing there are some relatively minimally invasive ways of doing so. Once a person is completely done growing, this still can be done but the procedures are more invasive. This kind of surgery is an option for people well into their 50s.