Have Arthritis In Knee And Hip. Using Celebrex And Cortizone Injection. Any Suggestion?
There are different forms of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common. It affects the weight bearing joints such as the knees and hips, as in your case.
The pain can be a deep achy pain, with decreased range of movement of the joint, crepitus (cracking sound on movement) and stiffness after not moving for a while.
In the morning persons may have stiffness that can last up to 30 minutes.
It is possible that each step can result in pain. In the initial stages the pain is relieved by rest but as it progresses, there can be pain when there is no movement.
In the early stages, there may be no changes on xray but in general there are changes that can be seen on xray that are specific to osteoarthritis.
Your doctor may have done an xray which may have demonstrated these specific changes, if not then , if possible, you can request an xray be done to take a look at your joints.
Treatment normally involves the use of pain killers such as the celebrex that you are using.
Drug studies have shown that peak levels of celebrex are present after 3 hrs but the full effect may take a few days to be felt.
In terms of other aspects of treatment they include: exercise- for example studies have shown that tai chi is very effective in persons with arthritis
Weight loss if there is any excess weight
Physical or occupational therapy is also an important aspect.Your doctor can recommend someone who may be helpful in this area
The application of heat or cold may also be helpful.
Topical agents such as capsaicin may also be helpful.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions