Arthritis and Joint Pain | Luminis Health

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Overview

Our Team

We offer a full range of treatments for arthritis and joint pain. Whether you have mild discomfort or severe pain, we can help.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

When you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage "cushion" between the bones in one of your joints is wearing away. Normal aging or an earlier injury, like a torn knee ligament, can cause it. Stress from excess body weight also speeds up this loss. Your genes play a role, too, as "weak" cartilage runs in some families. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 32.5 million U.S. adults are living with osteoarthritis.

As the cartilage breaks down, the body releases substances that cause pain, stiffness and swelling. In fact, the name arthritis comes from a Greek word that means "disease of the joint." Severe cartilage loss causes pain in another way, too. Without enough of it to keep bones in the joint from gliding against each other smoothly, bone grinds against bone.

At Luminis Health, we offer a full range of non-surgical treatments to help you manage arthritis and joint pain. We can also recommend ways to keep the damage from getting worse.

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Complete Care for Joint Pain

At Luminis Health, many kinds of experts come together to treat arthritis and joint pain in different ways. Working together, we can get you back on the move, so you can return to doing what's important to you. The tools we use are:

Braces and assistive devices. These devices take stress off of your joint by providing extra support. They can also stop your joint from moving in ways that cause pain.
Injection therapy. This can deliver a dose of pain-relieving or numbing medication right where you need it. Or it may involve injecting a fluid that helps the joint move more smoothly.
Medication. We might recommend an over-the-counter medication or write you a prescription. These medicines are only one piece of the puzzle, though. Exercise and physical therapy are far more effective at helping you move better and reduce your discomfort long term. Medications can make it easier for you to take part in these treatments.
Physical therapy. Our physical therapists can prescribe low-impact exercises to strengthen your muscles, which eases stress on your joint. Other exercises can reduce stiffness so you can move the joint more freely. If you don't stay active, your joint pain can get worse. What's more, weak muscles make it harder for you to move.
Weight management programs. Extra weight puts more stress on your knees and hips. In fact, losing just five pounds takes 15 pounds of pressure off each knee every time you take a step. We can help you create eating and exercise plans that fit into your life.
Joint replacement surgery. Once non-surgical options no longer provide the relief you need, your doctor may recommend joint replacement surgery. Total joint replacement has a strong, proven track record for safety and success.

Arthritis Diagnosis

To figure out whether you have arthritis, we ask you about your symptoms. Where is your pain? Is it burning, aching or stabbing? Is your joint stiff and sore first thing in the morning? Your doctor also examines the joint to see if it is swollen and how well it moves.

Your doctor may also order x-rays to check the joint for damage. We may ask you to get a blood test, too, to see if a different problem is causing your pain.

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