Losing weight has little effect on your issues

Sometimes carrying extra weight on our frame puts a lot more pressure on our joints. Your doctor might have recommended you try a weight loss program to find some relief from your pain. It can work in many cases to help those suffering from joint pain.

The general measurement is that losing one pound of weight should relieve three pounds of pressure from your joints. It’s a good idea to try this before undergoing joint replacement if you’re someone who feels they could benefit from this advice.

You may have followed your doctor’s recommendation faithfully and still found little relief. It’s still optimal to have the extra weight off before having any surgery.

You’ve maximized the benefits of rehabilitation exercises

Another option your physician might have recommended is attending regular rehabilitation sessions for your affected joint. Your therapy could involve more passive treatment like heat or cold therapy. Doing these procedures can help you find some relief from inflammation and pain.

More active treatment like individualized exercises can strengthen the muscles around the joint, giving you more support and keeping you from putting as much pressure on the area. Patients dealing with arthritis or other joint diseases can see improvements in the range of their movement.

You may come to a point where you’ve stopped seeing progress and still can’t move about as you might like. Your doctor should evaluate whether further treatment is beneficial. Joint replacement might be your best option if you’re still in considerable pain.

It’s difficult getting through day-to-day activities

We can take for granted the motions of getting out of bed, making our breakfast, and getting in our car to go to work. Doing these things gives us a sense of independence and self-worth. You can lose that struggling to move about your own house without assistance.

You may be forced to rely on a walker or cane to get to your bathroom. Joint replacement surgery could relieve your dependence on these devices and allow you to move about in a normal fashion.

Your pain management efforts stop being effective

How effective have your pain medications been in providing you with relief from your joint pain? You may find yourself in a situation where the recommended dosage has little to no effect on your symptoms. Even alternative therapies like acupuncture may not be having their intended effect.

We don’t like seeing anyone continuing to live with unnecessary pain. Going forward with joint replacement could be the thing to end your reliance on pain medication and let you live a relatively normal life.

Regain your sense of freedom

The physicians at Douglas J. Abeles M.D. & Associates will always make sure your concerns are heard and considered. They can talk you through what your surgery would involve and the outcome you can expect. If you’d like help deciding on joint replacement surgery in Castro Valley, CA, contact Dr. Abeles’s practice at (510) 538 – 0430.