"Arthritis" means inflammation of a joint. This can be brief, recurring or chronic, causing significant pain and disability.

There are many causes leading to joint inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, infection, contusion or strain of the joint. Degenerative arthritis will occur in all of us to a certain degree in time.

One of our overall focuses as orthopaedists is to prevent joint wear or "arthritis". Much of what we do considers protecting joints and preventing arthritis. Aligning fractures properly to prevent abnormal stresses on joints, removing loose pieces of cartilage or torn knee cartilages to prevent these culprits from wearing down joint surfaces leading to arthritis.

Fortunately, when arthritis does turn the smooth tread of our cartilaginous joint surface to rough cobblestone opposing surfaces or in the end bone on bone, we have solutions pending severity.

New medicines are valuable, both pills and injectables, in reviving the joint. When this fails, we can often smooth surfaces with a scope procedure. Ultimately we are able to resurface most joints that are too irregular and worn down to the bone.