“What is arthritis, and what are the treatment options?”

Osteoarthritis is a type of joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. This results in a joint where bone articulates with bone resulting in significant pain and impairment. This could be secondary to trauma, overuse, or other causative factors. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Initially, symptoms may occur only following exercise, but over time may become constant. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, joint stiffness in the morning, difficulty walking, and the sensation of the joint "locking up".  Recommended initial treatment options are anti-inflammatories, RICE, shoe gear modifications, bracing, steroid injections, and orthotics.   Jonathan M. Kletz, DPM Texas Foot WorksDallas, Athens and Gun Barrel City Texas214-340-8885

Arthritis is basically a wearing away of the articular cartilage of the joint. (Joint surface) for some reason. It could have been a trauma or injury that you had, it could be genetics or one of a bunch of medical conditions.Treatments depend upon what type of arthritis you have, how bad it is, etc. There are too many options to really go into, in an e-mail.