The joints play an essential role in the body, serving as a connector between bones. There are hundreds of joints throughout the body where two or more bones come together.
When they’re functioning normally, these body parts receive very little attention, but when a disease or injury damages the joints, the resulting symptoms can be uncomfortable or even debilitating.
If you’re experiencing joint pain or other joint-related symptoms, turn to Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Orthopedic Surgery. We offer the care you need to treat conditions affecting the joints and to protect your joints in the future.
What conditions affect the joints?
There are many different joint disorders, which are diseases or injuries that affect a joint or joints in some way. These conditions include:
- Arthritis
- Baker’s cysts
- Bursitis
- Dislocations
- Lupus
- Scoliosis
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Sprains
- Strains
- Tendonitis
Joint pain and other symptoms can occur in any joint in the body, including those in the knees, hips, shoulders, hands, and feet.
What are the symptoms of joint problems?
You might think a joint is a single body part, but joints bring together several body parts—bone, tendons, ligaments, soft tissue, and cartilage. Symptoms can affect any of those components.
Symptoms of a joint condition may include:
- Difficulty moving the joint
- Inability to bear weight
- Instability
- Joint pain, swelling or bruising
- Limited range of motion
- Nighttime pain
- Popping or snapping sensation in the joint
- Skin redness or warmth around a joint
- Stiffness, particularly in the morning
These symptoms may last for a short time and then go away or they may occur consistently.
How are joint conditions diagnosed?
Effective treatment for a condition affecting the joints starts with an accurate diagnosis. The first step is a thorough physical exam with one of our orthopedic surgeons, who will pay close attention to the affected area and the symptoms.
Other tools used to confirm a diagnosis may include:
- Arthoscopy
- Blood tests
- Imaging scans, including ultrasound, CT scans, MRI and X-rays
Guided by the information these tests provide, we’ll determine a diagnosis and create a personalized treatment plan to get you on the path to healing. Because caring for your joint health is a marathon and not a sprint, we’ll also talk you through ways to protect your joints and prevent injury in the future.
How are joint conditions treated?
At NGPG Orthopedic Surgery, we offer both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options, providing our patients without whatever is required to restore movement and reduce pain. A treatment plan for joint conditions may include:
Joint injections
Medications and other substances injected directly into an affected joint can provide temporary or longer-lasting symptom relief. We offer a variety of joint injections that may help, including cortisone, hyaluronic acid (Euflexxa, Synvisc and, Supartz), and platelet-rich plasma.
Medications
Over the counter or prescription medications can relieve temporary or longer-lasting symptoms.
Orthotics or bracing
Some joint conditions can be aided by using orthotics to support and cushion a joint or bracing to temporarily immobilize it and allow it to rest.
Physical Therapy
Your orthopedic specialist may recommend physical therapy as a standalone treatment or following surgery to treat a joint condition. Physical therapy uses specialized exercises to strengthen your joints and surrounding body parts, while restoring motion and improving mobility.
Surgery
NGPG orthopedic surgeons have extensive expertise in performing surgical procedures to treat the full spectrum of joint health issues. This includes:
- Knee replacement
- Hip replacement
- Shoulder replacement
- ACL repair
- Foot & ankle surgery
- Upper extremity procedures
Choose NGPG for joint care
If you’re experiencing discomfort or other symptoms related to your joints, you can find the advanced care you need at NGPG Orthopedic Surgery. Our specialists can diagnose the source of your pain and determine the best path forward, offering you both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options.
When surgery is needed to treat a joint condition, we offer our patients access to minimally invasive procedures whenever possible, including robotic surgery. These procedures provide patients with many benefits, such as reduced blood loss, smaller incisions, less pain and a quicker recovery. Our goal is always to get you moving again as quickly as possible through convenient online appointment scheduling and our walk-in clinics.