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Arthritis-related pain can make everyday activities more challenging, from walking and climbing stairs to exercising, working, or even enjoying time with family. Joint stiffness, swelling, and discomfort often develops gradually or becomes more noticeable over time, affecting your mobility and quality of life. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all treatment plan, Dr. El-Baghdadi works to identify the joints and structures contributing to your discomfort and determine which conservative, interventional, or regenerative treatment options may be appropriate for your individual needs.
Discover A More Personalized Approach to Arthritis Pain Care
Arthritis refers to a group of conditions that affect the joints and may cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced mobility. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms and develops when changes in joint cartilage and surrounding tissues affect how a joint functions. Arthritis-related pain can affect different areas of the body and may involve one or multiple joints. Common areas and conditions associated with arthritis-related pain include:
Not all joint pain is caused by arthritis, and imaging findings do not always reflect the severity of a patient’s symptoms. A careful medical evaluation can help determine whether arthritis is contributing to your discomfort and which treatment approaches may be appropriate.
Arthritis symptoms can vary depending on the joints involved, the type of arthritis, and the severity of the condition. Common symptoms may include:
If joint pain continues to return, gradually worsens, or begins to interfere with your everyday activities, a pain management evaluation may help clarify the underlying cause and available treatment options.
Your consultation begins with a detailed discussion about your symptoms, health history, previous treatments, and how arthritis-related pain is affecting your movement, comfort, and daily activities.
Dr. El-Baghdadi may review existing X-rays, MRI scans, or other imaging and perform a focused musculoskeletal examination to evaluate joint movement, tenderness, stability, and other clinical findings.
Depending on your diagnosis, treatment recommendations may include conservative care, targeted joint injections, image-guided procedures, other interventional pain management techniques, or regenerative medicine options such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for select musculoskeletal conditions.
For patients with suspected inflammatory arthritis, additional testing or evaluation by a rheumatologist may be appropriate.
The goal is not simply to address the symptoms of arthritis. It is to develop an individualized treatment plan that considers your diagnosis, functional limitations, health history, and personal goals.
Arthritis-related pain care requires more than identifying joint changes on an X-ray. Understanding how your symptoms, examination findings, and medical history fit together is an important part of determining the right treatment approach.
Dr. El-Baghdadi has more than 15 years of interventional pain management experience and has performed thousands of injections. Her training includes Tulane University School of Medicine, anesthesiology residency training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a pain management fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she served as Chief Fellow.
Patients choose Modern Pain Management & Regenerative Institute for a physician-led approach that combines clinical experience, precise procedural technique, and individualized attention.
John Brust
Many patients with arthritis-related pain can explore nonsurgical treatment options. Depending on the diagnosis, these may include physical therapy, activity modification, medications, targeted joint injections, or other interventional treatments. The appropriate treatment plan depends on the affected joints, severity of symptoms, and individual medical needs.
The appropriate physician depends on the type of arthritis and your symptoms. A pain management physician can evaluate and help manage pain associated with osteoarthritis and certain other joint conditions. Patients with inflammatory or autoimmune forms of arthritis may also need care from a rheumatologist, while significant joint damage may require evaluation by an orthopedic specialist.
Arthritis is a general term describing conditions that affect the joints. Osteoarthritis is a specific form of arthritis involving changes in cartilage, bone, and other joint tissues. Other forms, such as rheumatoid arthritis, involve inflammatory processes that may require different medical treatments. Identifying the type of arthritis is important when developing a treatment plan.
Depending on the joint involved and the underlying diagnosis, a physician may consider corticosteroid injections, certain other joint injections, or targeted procedures such as nerve blocks or radiofrequency ablation for select conditions. These procedures may help manage symptoms but do not reverse arthritis or restore damaged joint cartilage.
PRP may be discussed for select musculoskeletal conditions, including some cases of knee osteoarthritis. PRP is prepared from a patient’s own blood and contains concentrated platelets and signaling proteins involved in the body’s natural healing response. Evidence of benefit varies by condition, and PRP is not proven to regenerate damaged cartilage or cure arthritis. Dr. El-Baghdadi can help determine whether PRP may be reasonable to consider based on your individual diagnosis.
Not necessarily. Arthritis symptoms can fluctuate, and the progression of the condition varies from person to person. Some patients experience relatively stable symptoms, while others develop increasing pain, stiffness, or limitations over time. Appropriate evaluation and management may help patients maintain function and manage discomfort.
Consider a pain management consultation if arthritis-related pain persists, repeatedly returns, limits your activity, affects your sleep, or has not responded adequately to conservative treatments. Sudden severe joint pain accompanied by significant swelling, redness, fever, or an inability to bear weight may require urgent medical evaluation.
Discover A Non-Surgical Approach to Arthritis-Related Pain
If arthritis-related pain is making it harder to walk, exercise, stay active, or enjoy your everyday routine, Modern Pain Management & Regenerative Institute can help you better understand what may be contributing to your symptoms.
Schedule a consultation with Dr. El-Baghdadi in Libertyville today to discuss your arthritis-related pain and explore treatment options that may be appropriate for your individual needs.