Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - Community Healthcare System - 22

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Persistence is worth it. Understanding the source of your joint
pain will make it easier to come
up with a treatment plan that
really works.
Feeling achy? Here's what to know.

Why Joints Are Prone
to Aches and Pains

Because joints help keep the body
in motion and are constantly in
use, they are prone to damage.
Pain within the joints of the back,
knees, hips, ankles and hands is
often due to osteoarthritis caused
by deteriorating cartilage (the padding between bones). Other times,
an injury or even persistent bad
posture can lead to chronic pain or
cause a sprain (a stretch or a tear
in the ligament that connects the
bones at the joint).
"You could have joint pain in
any joint in the body for a variety
of reasons, so it's not always easy to
understand the pain," says Sanjeev
Bhatia, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and consulting team
physician for the U.S. Ski Team.
Pain can come from multiple
parts of the joint, including ligaments that connect to the bones to
form a joint, tendons that connect
the joint to the muscle to help
keep bones in place, cartilage that
reduces the friction in the joint and
fluid-filled sacks called bursas that
provide cushion, Bhatia says.

When Acute Injury
Is the Culprit

If joint pain comes on suddenly,
a timely doctor visit is critical.
Whether you strained your elbow
on the tennis court or pulled your
back after a car accident, a sudden
injury can develop into joint pain
that may be harder to treat down
the line.
"If it's an acute injury, it's usually
a good idea to get diagnosed early,"
Bhatia says.
SPRING 2020 VIM & VIGOR

Quality Care
for Joints

If chronic joint pain makes
daily life difficult to navigate, it may be time to
consult with an orthopedic specialist.
At Community
Healthcare System hospitals, Community Hospital
in Munster,
St. Catherine Hospital
in East Chicago and
St. Mary Medical Center in
Hobart, our orthopedic specialists are committed to
delivering the best patient
experiences at every level
of care-before surgery,
post-surgery and throughout rehabilitation.
Our Joint Academy programs educate patients
about their procedure
before surgery, offer inpatient group therapy and
provide education and readiness for recovery at home.
Family members are encouraged to serve as coaches
who help motivate their
loved ones after surgery.
Board-certified and
fellowship-trained physicians offer minimally
invasive surgical options
from arthroscopic surgery
to robot-assisted knee
replacements. Our medical
specialists collaborate as a
team to provide seamless
care and help patients heal
quickly so they can regain
their active lifestyles.

Help for
Your Bones

For orthopedic care you can
trust, choose the hospitals of
Community Healthcare System.
For a list of orthopedic
specialists in your area, call
the physician referral line
at 219-836-3477 or visit
COMHS.org.

Much of the time, sudden-onset
joint pain will go away in weeks with
proper conservative care, including
physical therapy, anti-inflammatory
medication, like ibuprofen, and rest.
Ignoring the pain can make it linger
or cause additional damage.
Many acute injuries can resolve
without the need for surgery, Bhatia
says. "The first-line treatment is a
physical therapy program. That's
always where we start. Then we look
at injections and medications."

To Test or Not to Test

Imaging tests can help providers
diagnose some types of joint pain.
For instance, a simple X-ray can
be beneficial to better understand
whether cartilage has degenerated, says David Konstant, DPT,
a physical therapist and member
of the American Physical Therapy
Association. Additionally, an MRI
can give a more detailed picture
of some types of abnormalities or
disease. But while the source of
arthritis-related pain is often visible
on these images, a strain may be
harder to spot, he adds.
http://www.COMHS.org
Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - Community Healthcare System

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