Arthritis: Alternatives To Surgery
- Reported, June 21, 2012
 DURHAM,
N.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) --It causes pain, stiffness and immobility. When you
have osteoarthritis, every single step can be a struggle. There are invasive
surgeries and drugs with a long list of side effects that most patients try to
avoid. Now we’ll show you arthritis alternative therapies that really work.
As a youth orchestra conductor, Dorothy Kitchen was used to being on her feet
all day. But
then knee arthritis struck.
"I sit now, instead of stand, when I conduct," Dorothy Kitchen, a woman who
suffers arthritis told Ivanhoe.
Kitchen is determined not to have surgery and only takes meds if she’s really in
pain.
"I’m not a pill-taker," Kitchen said.
But one thing that has helped is massage.
"I feel more alive, my legs feel mobile," Kitchen said.
Dr. Adam Perlman of Duke University launched a pilot study on massage for knee
osteoarthritis. Patients who had massages twice a week for a month and then once
a week for another month, had less pain, better range of motion and faster
walking speeds.
"And that improvement actually persisted eight weeks after massage was
finished," Adam Perlman, M.D., MPH, executive director, Duke Integrated Medicine
told Ivanhoe.
Another alternative is acupuncture.
"There is very interesting data suggesting that acupuncture can be effective
particularly for arthritis of the knee," Dr. Perlman said.
In one study, 25 percent of arthritis patients who were scheduled for knee
surgery cancelled their procedures after acupuncture. Then there’s glucosamine.
"The studies are conflicting about glucosamine," Dr. Perlman said.
Most studies show glucosamine sulfate at 1,500 milligrams a day can help but
glucosamine hydrochloride is most commonly sold in the U.S does not. Finally
fight pain by losing weight. Every pound you lose means four pounds less
pressure on your knees. That’s what works for Kitchen, taking daily walks and
massage.
"This will be wonderful! I’ll feel good all afternoon," Kitchen concluded.
Dr. Perlman is now enrolling patients in the massage study, which will take
place at three centers: one at Duke, one at Yale and one in New Jersey.
(Sources: Archives of Internal Medicine, Ease Arthritis Pain Naturally, MSN
Health; Put Those Shoes On: Running Won’t Kill Your Knees, NPR, Acufinder.com)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mary Jane Gore
Sr. Media Relations Specialist
Duke Medicine News and Communications
(919)660-1309
Mary.gore@duke.edu
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