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Pain Management

Over time, there have been many ways that physicians and other health advocates have tried to deal with the pain associated with Arthritis.  There are too many attempted methods d to mention everything, however, below we will go through some of the common solutions, and especially those that have evidence that supports their validity.  If you have questions about anything that is not on this list please just bring it up with Dr. Lutz at your clinic appointment. 

Pain Medications

 

Prior to the invention of the hip replacement, the major burden of disease from Arthritis came from the side effects of pain medications given for pain.  Although there are side effects in all medications, some may be benifitial in the short term to help manage symptoms.  Below is a discussion in different catagories of medications.

  • Tylenol - the least side effects of all medications.  This can be used in conjunction WITH NSAIDS.  Please use as prescribed by your family doctor or as per designated on the bottle.

  • NSAIDS - there are many different types of NSAIDS (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) including Advil, Aleve etc.  The NSAIDS that have a longer half-life are usually better for inflammation (such as Arthrotec or Celebrex) and therefore are used more often for arthritis.  The main issues with NSAIDS are that they can cause stomach ulcers and because they are cleared by the kidneys they can cause renal injury if used too much.  People with renal issues (such as diabetics) or people on blood thinners should be very careful with these.

  • Narcotic Medications - These may be necessary sometimes to help patients cope with pain pre-operatively.  Although it works well in the short-term, it will make it much harder for us to manage pain postoperatively and therefore if you are able to wean down or stop a few weeks prior to the OR that is the most ideal.

  • CBD and Marijuana - Simliar to narcotics, these may help patients cope with pain pre-operatively.  Although it works well in the short-term, it will also make it harder for us to manage pain postoperatively and therefore if you are able to wean down or stop a few weeks prior to the OR that is the most ideal.

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Muscle Strengthening and Activity Modification

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We will have a thorough discussion regarding the risks and benefits of having surgery and if after this consultation, if it is deemed necessary, you will be added to Dr. Lutz's surgical wait-list.

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Surgical Wait-List 
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Injections
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Bracing
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Muscle Strengthening
 
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