Orthopedic Treatment can reduce pain; and increase function allowing people to return to normal activities. Often the two things go hand-in-hand, in that pain itself will reduce people’s function. For example an arthritic hip will be held stiffly, with pain preventing people walking, standing or sitting comfortably, rather than the degree of arthritis in the hip itself.
It is only occasionally that arthritis is so severe it causes the hip to become fused, preventing movement. Pain has a useful protective function in the body. If we hurt ourselves the pain produced by the injury reminds us not to use (and further injure) the damaged area.
People show “fear avoidance” behaviour, avoiding activities for fear they will increase their pain and worsen the situation. This can have a severe impact on quality of life. Often people tell me their condition is not really that painful, but on closer questioning, they have stopped all sporting or leisure activities due to pain. If you ask people to return to their activities, they find them too painful. Only then do they realise how much pain is actually affecting them.
One of the great benefits of modern orthopaedics is we now have effective treatments for many very painful and disabling conditions. For example, a microdiscectomy is an effective treatment for ending sciatic pain. With a small incision, the fragment of disc causing the inflammation and irritation of the nerve is removed. This operation, which takes under an hour, and often only requires an overnight stay, gives dramatic relief in leg pain, and patients can return to most of their normal activities within a few weeks of Treatment.