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When to Take Hyalgan Treatment

Hyalgan should be taken as directed by your doctor for osteoarthritis. Arthritis is primarily a condition that affects the elderly, but it can also affect children and people that are overweight. There are three different types: arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. In 2005, 22% of the population reported that a doctor had diagnosed them with some type of arthritis. From 2003 to 2005, approximately half of the U.S. population 65 years and older had been diagnosed. As of 2003, approximately $128 billion was spent annually on treatment for arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  1. Osteoarthritis

    • The CDC does a further breakdown of statistics based on the type of arthritis. The most recent statistics for this condition were analyzed in 2005. In 2005, it is estimated that approximately 27 million people were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
      In between your bones there is cartilage that absorbs the impact when you are physically active. The cartilage acts as a cushion to protect the bones in the body from rubbing together. Osteoarthritis occurs when this cartilage wears down or is no longer present. Without the presence of cartilage in a joint, such as the knee, impact is absorbed completely by the bone and the bones physically rub together. As the bones rub one another, pain develops in the joint area.
      Typically the wearing down of the cartilage occurs with age, which explains why osteoarthritis is prevalent in those that are 65 or over. However, osteoarthritis is also prevalent in those that are overweight.

    Taking Hyalgan Treatment

    • Hyalgan treatment is a polymer substance that is composed of sugars. This substance is made from the feathers of roosters. It is used for the treatment of patients with pain due to osteoarthritis, specifically osteoarthritis of the knee. Treatment with Hyalgan is administered through injection at the site of the joint pain. The duration of the treatment is typically 3 to 5 injections administered once per week. The number of injections highly depends on the response of the body to the treatment, according to the manufacturer.

    When to Use Hyalgan

    • Hyalgan treatment should only be administered to patients who have exhausted all other routes of treatment with no pain relief. For example, Hyalgan treatment should only be prescribed for those who have tried over-the-counter pain remedies and acetaminophen to relieve pain from arthritis. If these remedies have had no affect on pain, then it is time to consider Hyalgan treatment as an option for pain reduction, accordint to the maker of Hyalgan.

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