Management of Chronic Pain and Osteoarthritis Pain
The management of Osteoarthritis (OA) requires tools tailored to the individual. This includes education for the patient and caregiver.
Five Steps for Confident Dialogue with your Doctor.
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Communication with healthcare professionals is very important. Download this guide to help you through the conversation. Start tracking your symptoms and treatments, and make an appointment with your doctor. Otherwise, you can find a Osteoarthritis Specialist Here.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONThere are a number of unmet medical needs due to the chronic nature of osteoarthritis. The growing incidence of osteoarthritis and the aging population requires streamlined access to quality care at all stages of OA. Barriers include delays in receiving appropriate care, the inability to get preventive services, financial burdens, preventable hospitalizations, socioeconomic status, age, disability status, and residential location.
The increasing prevalence of obesity increases the risk of OA by 5% as well. Weight loss can improve pain and delay the progression of joint structural damage. |
Challenges of Current OA Therapies
The use of a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals is the ideal scenario in OA management. However, teams of rheumatologists, rheumatology nurses, and physiotherapists are not readily available in the Primary Care setting. Since the majority of OA is managed in the Primary Care setting, there is a gap in the skills and confidence to deliver quality care. As a result there is an overuse of X-ray in the diagnosis of OA and inappropriate referrals to orthopedic surgery. There is also a gap in core non-pharmacological treatments and confidence in the safety of exercise and its use as an analgesic.