May Is National Arthritis Awareness Month: Dr. Badia Offers Tips To Cut Risks For Arthritis

Arthritis: It’s Not Just a Joint Problem for the Elderly

Hand and Upper Limb Surgeon Dr. Alejandro Badia acknowledges May as National Arthritis Awareness Month, offers tips to cut risks for disease affecting millions.

As published on April 9, 2019 on PRWEB, nearly 100 percent of former football players will have signs of osteoarthritis – the most common form of arthritis — in one or more of their joints, says orthopedic surgeon Alejandro Badia MD, an expert in the treatment of diseases of the upper limbs and joints, including disorders related to sports.

That’s because previous traumatic injury to joints – common in football — plays a role in later development of the disease.

Dr. Badia, founder and chief medical officer of the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®, is especially noted for treating joint disorders, including arthritis, in the upper limbs of professional, amateur and recreational athletes. Dr. Badia cautions, however, not to think of arthritis simply as one disease.

The term Arthritis actually applies to more than 100 different joint-related conditions, and multiple causative factors, including sports injuries and other kinds of trauma, are involved.

Another 1.5 million or more people in the United States suffer from rheumatoid arthritis – the second most common form of arthritis.

“Arthritis is not curable. That’s why early treatment is so essential to slowing its progression and avoiding extensive, restorative procedures,” says Dr. Badia, who served as the Orthopedic Medical Honoree for the 2018 Walk to Cure Arthritis in Miami.

Although age and genetic makeup are unavoidable, many people can prevent arthritic pain and loss of function with lifestyle changes.

Dr. Badia offers these tips:

• Follow a healthy diet and maintain normal weight for your height, age and frame. That means shedding the extra pounds.
• Exercise regularly.
• Limit stress on joints. Avoid overexertion, awkward positions, improper posture or repetitive use of joints.
• Balance daily activities with needed rest.
• Control blood sugar. The Arthritis Foundation says diabetes can trigger the kind of inflammation linked to cartilage loss.

Dr. Badia’s testimonial in closing 2018 Arthritis Awareness Month