SEMINAR OFFERS ANSWERS TO VARIETY OF PAINS

Knee and hip pains drew about 15 people to a seminar Wednesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital to learn what to do about it.

Presented by Debbie Taylor, a registered nurse at Southeast, the seminar dealt with tendinitis, bursitis and arthritis.

"It's important to find out exactly what's going on with your knee so you can find out how to treat it," Taylor said. Arthritis is the only condition of the three that is not curable, but it is treatable.

The three conditions have one thing in common: They generate pain either in or around joints.

Tendons are tough cord-like tissues that attach muscles to bone. They surround joints and can become inflamed and painful through overuse, sprains or rubbing.

Bursitis is caused by an inflammation of fluid-filled sacks that act as cushions. Overuse is the most common cause of bursitis.

Osteoarthritis, one of the most common forms of arthritis, is primarily caused by the wearing down of cartilage, the cushioning between the bones of a joint. Once the cushioning is gone, movement will cause bones to rub against each other and wear down.

Tendinitis and bursitis can be cured usually through rest, moderate exercise, ice and anti-inflammatory drugs. The symptoms of arthritis can be treated in much the same way.

"For every pound that you're overweight it adds an additional three pounds of pressure on that joint," Taylor said. "Exercise is good. If you just get up in the morning and sit, it just makes matters worse. Your muscles will lose their strength and you'll be in worse shape than you were."

Inflammation problems in joints usually cause some swelling as nutrient-rich liquids flow into the area to cushion and provide needed elements for healing. But swelling also retards normal blood flow, which is the most important element of healing. Keeping the swelling to a minimum with ice packs 20 minutes three times a day and anti-inflammatories will speed healing and remove much of the pain.

Heating an area affected by tendinitis or bursitis can provide some relief from the pain but also cause the area to swell more.

"You might want to try heating an area in the morning when you first get going, and then put ice on it at the end of the day," Taylor said.

Physicians can determine which ailment a person is suffering from through a series of tests or X-rays. Any X-ray taken of a painful knee or hip should be taken when the patient is standing to provide an accurate picture of the joint, Taylor said.

If it turns out to be arthritis and the pain is not controlled through non-invasive methods, surgeons have the ability to replace the joint with mechanical devices.

William Bard of Cape Girardeau had his right knee replaced in September with a metal and plastic device that should last between 10 and 15 years. He was able to put weight on the joint the day after the surgery but is going through a long rehabilitation process to strengthen the supporting muscles.

"I'd had leg trouble for a number of years. I think it came on gradually from being on my feet," Bard said. "The recovery problem is getting the mobility back. It's like a bad spring. You've got to get the stiffness out of it."

Chronic knee and hip problems don't just affect the elderly. Bard is 65 and Teresa Vogelsang, another member of the seminar's audience, is 28.

"I've had arthroscopic surgery on both my knee and my hip," Vogelsang said. "They said I didn't have arthritis."

Vogelsang said she isn't ready for surgery yet but she is not sure what to make of the problems.

"I'm not giving up on my knee," she said. "I have an appointment with a doctor in February for my hip."