Managing Osteoarthritis: A Rheumatologists Perspective

Common topics a rheumatologist will discuss to help facilitate management of your osteoarthritis.

Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, rheumatologist

When I see patients with osteoarthritis there are several things that we talk about. One is advice about the condition and what’s likely to happen to them in the future with and without different forms of treatment. If they're overweight or obese I will discuss the evidence around these factors being quite significant risks for osteoarthritis and also making the condition worse and there's also evidence that if they lose weight, they can actually reduce the pain that they have in their in their weight bearing joints. We also discuss pacing activities and the value of physical therapy and exercise there's good evidence that exercises are of value for people with and without arthritis and I usually advise them to exercise if they can at least three times a week and to combine aerobic exercise with strengthening exercises. Sometimes I refer them to appropriate places like community exercise programs or physiotherapists so  that they can get a better advice about this.