According to the 2023 State of Musculoskeletal Health report by Versus Arthritis, a charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis in the UK, more than 10 million people in this country – one in six of us – are living with osteoarthritis.
It is the most common form of arthritis. Others include: gout (which affects around 1.6 million people in the UK), rheumatoid arthritis (450,000), psoriatic arthritis (190,000 adults), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (12,000 children) and axial spondyloarthritis (60,000 adults).
The report states that around a third of the entire UK population – 11.6 million women and 8.7 million men of all ages are living with some kind of musculoskeletal condition. In this blog, we will focus on the most common of these – osteoarthritis.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that affects the joints of the body. It is commonly associated with ageing. As our joints age, the cartilage that protects the ends of the bones and helps them to glide smoothly over each other can start to wear away and become rough. When this happens, the joint capsule can become misshapen, there can be an increase of fluid in the joint and you may develop bony spurs called osteophytes which can prevent the joint from working properly. Osteoarthritis tends to affect people above the age of 45, most commonly women. It can affect any joint in the body but the knees, hands, hips and back are the most frequently affected. Being overweight can make you more prone to osteoarthritis and exacerbate the condition if you develop it.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis
In the early stages, the symptoms of osteoarthritis can be mild. You may experience pain and stiffness in the affected joint, particularly after an extended period of sitting or lying down. As the disease develops the pain can worsen and your mobility may be increasingly affected. Severe osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition that can significantly impact your quality of life and prevent you from doing the things you normally enjoy.
What treatments are available?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition which means it gradually worsens as time goes on. There are things you can do to slow down the disease, such as maintaining a healthy weight which will reduce pressure on weight-bearing joints like hips and knees, but it cannot be cured. Regular exercise can help to keep the joints supple and flexible and build strength in the surrounding muscles which helps to support the joint. In the early stages, painkillers and anti-inflammatories may be enough to control the pain of osteoarthritis. However, as it becomes more severe you are likely to need other types of treatment.
Non-operative treatments
At Carrothers Orthopaedics we offer a range of non-operative treatments for mild to moderate osteoarthritis, including:
- Platelet Rich Plasma injections which help to provide pain relief using “good inflammatory cells” from the blood. These are extracted from a sample of your own blood, which is spun in a centrifuge to separate out the different components. It is then injected into the damaged joint. Level 1 studies have shown PRP injections deliver more effective pain relief for mild to moderate knee arthritis than steroids or hyaluronic acid injections. PRP injections are often given alongside hyaluronic acid supplements.
- Steroid injections into the damaged joint help to reduce chronic pain or swelling due to inflammation. We use an anti-inflammatory steroid called Depo-medrone.
- Hyaluronic acid injections contain synthetic stabilised hyaluronic acid which is similar to the natural hyaluronic acid found in synovial fluid within the joint. These injections help to lubricate the joint so it can move more easily. These injections help to lubricate the joint so it can move more easily. Depending on the experienced benefit these injections can be repeated when they wear off.
Surgical treatments
Once osteoarthritis is advanced and the joints have become severely damaged, surgery is normally the most effective way to restore mobility and regain quality of life. For younger patients, it may be possible to undergo joint resurfacing surgery, but most patients will require a total or partial joint replacement. This entails removing the damaged section of joint and replacing it with a prosthetic implant.
Carrothers Orthopaedics uses an advanced system of joint replacement surgery called Mako SmartRobotics which is helping to improve patient outcomes using innovative computer software and robotic arm technology.
To date more than a million Mako procedures have been carried out in around 35 countries worldwide. Studies show that patients who undergo Mako surgery report lower pain scores when surveyed after six months, and higher levels of satisfaction.
Mako uses ultra precise pre-operative planning. This means the joint implant is more accurately aligned which leads to better performance, greater comfort and less soft tissue and ligament damage. More healthy bone is preserved which is an important advantage if revision surgery is needed in the future.
A private patient at Nuffield Hospital Cambridge left the following comment on patient review site iwantgreatcare.org on 1 September 2023:
“I am now 6 weeks post op and cannot believe the difference it has made to my quality of life. I had robotic surgery and cannot recommend it highly enough. For me the pain disappeared immediately after the operation, obviously there was some site pain but that was treated with appropriate pain relief.”
Within the same review, this patient goes on to say:
“I feel years younger and would highly recommend to anyone with chronic hip pain. A physiotherapist had said to me ‘better to go early with a new hip and later with a knee’. I feel I have got my life back and am hoping to return to all my physical activities in the next 3-4 months.’
Joint replacement surgery is now a routine procedure and it can be life-changing, as this patient’s experience shows. Contact us for more information.
Talk to an orthopaedic consultant | Cambridge
We are always happy to provide information and guidance about various treatment options, both surgical and non-surgical, including Mako robotic arm assisted surgery and conventional surgery.
For more information, please contact us.
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For your convenience, we offer appointments at both Nuffield Hospital Cambridge and Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital.
