Osteoarthritis Treatment

How is Osteoarthritis treated?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, caused by the gradual breakdown of cartilage in joints. While there is no cure, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, improving joint function, and slowing disease progression.

Treatments for osteoarthritis include:

Lifestyle Management

• Exercise: Low-impact activities (e.g., walking, swimming, cycling) strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce pain.
• Weight management: Reducing excess weight decreases stress on weight-bearing joints like knees and hips.
• Physical therapy: Guided exercises improve mobility and support joint stability.
• Assistive devices: Canes, braces, or shoe inserts help reduce strain on affected joints.

Pain relief medication
Medication is prescribed based on the severity of your pain and other conditions or health problems you may have. Paracetamol, codeine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) help with pain relief. They are in the form on topical creams applied directly on affected joints. Steriod injections may also be given for particularly painful cases as can they ease pain for several weeks or months.


Surgery
Surgery for osteoarthritis is recommended when other treatments if the joints is severely damaged or has not responded to other non-invasive treatments. Some surgical options include:

• Arthroscopy: Minimally invasive procedure to remove loose cartilage (less common now for OA).
• Osteotomy: Bone reshaping to relieve pressure on the joint.

Joint replacement
Joint replacement surgery is done to replace hip and knee joints in severe OA. Your affected joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint or prosthesis made of plastic and metal to restore mobility and reduce pain.