Joint pain can affect your knees, shoulders, hips, and other joints. The pain can be mild or severe enough to significantly impact your daily life, making even simple activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, painful. Most people rely on over-the-counter pain-relief medication to get temporary relief, which often works for many.
Whether it’s anti-inflammatory medicines, gels, supplements, or even home remedies, pain-relief options are not a permanent solution to debilitating joint pain. If the pain is constant, severe, and affects your quality of life, it’s worth getting checked by the best orthopedic surgeon in Mumbai to rule out serious joint issues.
Why Pain-Relief Medication Doesn’t Work?
Painkillers and NSAIDs can reduce inflammation and the perception of pain. They do not address the underlying cause, which is why many people with chronic joint conditions find themselves taking more and more painkillers frequently.
For example, joint pain due to arthritis might temporarily respond well to medication. However, if the inflammation worsens, the pain might also return. Diagnosis also plays a crucial role here. What’s diagnosed as age-related pain can be due to gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, infections, or even vitamin deficiencies.
What to Do If Medication Doesn’t Work?
Here’s what to do:
Stop Taking Over-the-Counter Medication
Avoid taking random medications or changing your dose or medicines without a doctor’s prescription. Long-term, repeated use of medicines can cause kidney issues, liver damage, high blood pressure, heart issues, and other complications. If pain continues, worsens, or is present with other unusual symptoms, seek proper joint pain treatment in Mumbai instead of self-medicating.
Get Diagnosis
A proper diagnosis is what you need to figure out the root cause of joint pain. Your doctor may recommend tests based on your symptoms. You may have to take:
- Blood test to rule out infections, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation
- X-rays to check joint damage
- MRI scans to check soft tissues and ligaments
A bone density scan may be needed if your doctor suspects osteoporosis
Work Closely with Your Orthopedic Doctor
Once the reports are in, your orthopedic doctor will work with you to find the most effective treatment plan based on your age, symptoms, overall health, and lifestyle. For mild issues, your healthcare provider may recommend simple lifestyle changes, such as losing some weight, eating a bone-healthy diet, or staying active. Physiotherapy is another effective way to strengthen your core muscles and improve joint stability.
Do I Need Joint Replacement Surgery?
Joint replacement surgery is usually not needed unless pain doesn’t respond to medication, injections, lifestyle changes, and physiotherapy. Or, pain starts interfering with your daily activities.
Note that the joint replacement isn’t a first line of treatment for joint pain. It’s a major surgery, which may take several weeks to sometimes months for complete recovery. Your doctor will assess your health and work with you to decide if surgery is the best treatment option.
