Young and Arthritic

Reported October 13, 2009

CINCINNATI (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Arthritis is no longer your grandparent's disease. Doctors are seeing younger patients come into their offices with stiffness and joint pain.

Pro athletes like Pete Rose, Ken Griffey and Lebron James know injury is just part of the game. But when Todd Bonnell was playing high school basketball, he couldn't have imagined how an injury would change his life.

"My senior year in high school, I started with the torn meniscus at the beginning of the year," Bonnell told Ivanhoe.

When he was in his early 20s, doctors diagnosed him with arthritis.

"We just had the MRI and saw the arthritis, I guess," Bonnell explained.

Bonnell undergoes extensive physical therapy. Doctors say he's not alone.

"What we're seeing now is more secondary arthritis, and that's arthritis due to injury, athletic injury and/or athletic injury and surgical procedure," Timothy Kremchek, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Cincinnati, told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Kremchek says osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and it's exploding in young people.

"I've seen children under the age of 10 that have had traumatic arthritic changes, yes," Dr. Kremchek said.

One study found nearly 70 percent of ACL injuries in young athletes will lead to early osteoarthritis. Causes include joint overuse, poor technique and improper use of equipment.

Physical therapy is a common treatment, but, increasingly doctors are using injections to lubricate the joints and a surgical procedure called arthroscopy.

"That's making two small little poke holes and arthroscoping, cleaning out the knee," Dr. Kremchek explained.

He says the idea is to help young people maintain their active lifestyles.

Bonnell says golf can hurt his knees more than basketball, but he isn't willing to give up either yet. He's too young.

Dr. Kremchek says there's no cure for arthritis, and joint replacement is an absolute last resort for young patients. He believes a combination of physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, injections and sometimes surgery are the best options.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jayne L. Walker
Corporate Marketing Director
Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Cincinnati, OH
(513) 354-3728