CNOS Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Joanie Columbia, talks about inflammation from arthritis and what natural remedies exist to treat it.
SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – Arthritis can be anywhere in your body where there is a joint, leaving a lot of places prone to pain and stiffness.
There are different ways to treat the inflammation. It’s common in older adults, but they might find the common route of treatment not always helpful. “It’s activity modification, anti-inflammatories, and, you know, just things to try and reduce swelling and reduce pain,” said Dr. Joanie Columbia, CNOS. “Lot of patients come in with arthritis of the fingers, and you have different joints in the fingers that can be affected. But the base of the thumb, arthritis is probably the most common one that I see.”
But, taking Ibuprofen doesn’t always bring relief to those living with inflamed joints. Dr. Columbia shows her patients there is a more natural route to treating and controlling their arthritis. “There are natural anti-inflammatories that have been studied,” said Dr. Columbia. “Turmeric is one of them. And it comes in, you know, supplement forms, as well as it’s a spice for cooking. Ginger and lemon have also been studied and shown to be natural anti-inflammatories. So there’s a lot of patients that really don’t like taking pills. And so I do discuss these with them in clinic when they’re coming in to talk about their pain.”
The goal for Dr. Columbia is to make sure her patients are able to stay doing the activities they enjoy with a mild amount of pain. She emphasizes arthritis can be treated and it isn’t a condition people need to let control their lives.
Dr. Columbia says when anti-inflammatories and other treatments aren’t working for arthritis, that is when surgery becomes an option. It is a conversation to have with your health care provider.
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