English
In practice
Before beginning this chapter, we would like to ask you a few questions regarding your attitude to treatments. You have just left your doctor’s surgery with a prescription for your osteoarthritis – what do you normally do?
To indicate your answer, choose your most frequent reaction from the following proposals by clicking on it.
To indicate your answer, choose your most frequent reaction from the following proposals by clicking on it.
Follow the treatment to the letter
Well done, you are right to scrupulously follow your doctor’s prescription. He or she alone knows the most suitable treatment for your particular case.
Do not take anything
You are wrong to do this as osteoarthritis is absolutely not inevitable.
While ageing effectively increases the risk of its onset, it is not the only factor at issue. Nowadays doctors have a whole arsenal of drugs at their disposal that are capable of giving you effective relief and considerably improving your living conditions.
If there is any advice we can give you, it is to scrupulously follow your doctor’s prescription and in all events talk to him or her before making any changes. We would also like you to read this chapter on treatments to convince you of their validity with regard to osteoarthritis.
If you would like to find out more about the causes of osteoarthritis, please consult the section: "risk factors".
While ageing effectively increases the risk of its onset, it is not the only factor at issue. Nowadays doctors have a whole arsenal of drugs at their disposal that are capable of giving you effective relief and considerably improving your living conditions.
If there is any advice we can give you, it is to scrupulously follow your doctor’s prescription and in all events talk to him or her before making any changes. We would also like you to read this chapter on treatments to convince you of their validity with regard to osteoarthritis.
If you would like to find out more about the causes of osteoarthritis, please consult the section: "risk factors".
Take a tablet from time to time
You are right to want to relieve your pain but why wait until you are suffering before taking a tablet?
If you follow your doctor’s prescription to the letter, your bouts of pain could become less frequent and the pain will thus become less present. Think about it and follow your doctor’s prescription.
If you follow your doctor’s prescription to the letter, your bouts of pain could become less frequent and the pain will thus become less present. Think about it and follow your doctor’s prescription.
Prefer taking drugs
Prefer taking drugs for more serious things
Of course there are more “serious” diseases than osteoarthritis. But that is not a reason for neglecting it because it can be a source of severe daily pain if you let it develop without taking any action.
It is a real disease of the joints that requires an effective treatment. Drug-based treatments, physiotherapy and local treatments of osteoarthritis are all perfectly justified and essential: even if we still do not know how to “cure” this disease, doctors have the means at their disposal for relieving the pain and reducing the difficulties experienced in everyday life.
Of course there are more “serious” diseases than osteoarthritis. But that is not a reason for neglecting it because it can be a source of severe daily pain if you let it develop without taking any action.
It is a real disease of the joints that requires an effective treatment. Drug-based treatments, physiotherapy and local treatments of osteoarthritis are all perfectly justified and essential: even if we still do not know how to “cure” this disease, doctors have the means at their disposal for relieving the pain and reducing the difficulties experienced in everyday life.
Taking drugs recommended by your neighbour
Beware, only your doctor knows which drugs are suitable for you. Taking someone else’s drugs under the pretext that they work for this particular person is not a good idea and can sometimes be dangerous.
Stick to your doctor’s prescription and, if need be, talk to him or her about the product you have been told about.
Stick to your doctor’s prescription and, if need be, talk to him or her about the product you have been told about.
Stopping the treatment after a few days
Stopping the treatment after a few days if there is no change
Some drugs prescribed for osteoarthritis need to be taken for several weeks before you experience an improvement.
Be patient and, above all, have confidence in your doctor: do not hesitate to talk to him or her about it for he or she may, perhaps, adjust your pain treatment.
Some drugs prescribed for osteoarthritis need to be taken for several weeks before you experience an improvement.
Be patient and, above all, have confidence in your doctor: do not hesitate to talk to him or her about it for he or she may, perhaps, adjust your pain treatment.
Stopping the treatment as soon as you feel better
This is a mistake. You must respect the length of treatment that your doctor has prescribed. By interrupting an effective treatment without medical advice you risk compromising any benefits that you have obtained from it.
Refusing local corticosteroid injections
This is a widely spread preconception. Local corticosteroid injections are very effective in the event of a flare-up of osteoarthritis, in particular for the knee.
On condition of being correctly carried out by an experienced doctor, you should not be afraid of local corticosteroid injections.
On condition of being correctly carried out by an experienced doctor, you should not be afraid of local corticosteroid injections.
