The Willow Glen Resident

Forums aid those who suffer from arthritis

By Rebecca Wallace

Until about the turn of the century, there wasn't much that arthritis sufferers could do to ease their symptoms, other than drink willow bark tea. Then Dr. Bayer introduced those little white miracle pills--aspirin.

These days, to hear some doctors tell it, there are all kinds of exciting treatments now available for those with arthritis, and more on the way. During May, National Arthritis Month, the San Francisco-based Arthritis Foundation is sponsoring more than 40 Bay Area public education forums to help people benefit from treatments and exercise. These include eight events in Santa Clara County.

"It's so exciting, because there's so much coming," said Dr. Carter V. Multz, a rheumatologist who has practiced in San Jose since 1963. "We're learning how to use combinations [of different medications], and many of my patients are getting nearly complete remissions."

New treatments are coming for both rheumatoid arthritis, which is the more serious type that affects people of all ages, and osteoarthritis, a slowly progressive form of arthritis that mostly older people get, Multz said.

Multz is hosting an arthritis forum on May 7 at 8:30 p.m. at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, titled "Old Basics and What's New on the Horizon." Other arthritis talks in the area include "Surgical Treatments for Arthritis," hosted by Drs. Robert Aptekar and Michael Butcher on May 11 at Good Samaritan Medical Center in San Jose, and "Arthritis and Exercise--Tai Chi and Reiki," given by instructor Donna Shaffer at the Cypress Senior Center in San Jose.

Forums in other parts of the county will cover such topics as osteoporosis, arthritis and nutrition and the benefits of the early treatment of arthritis.

Multz agrees that arthritis is best treated if caught early and encourages people exhibiting symptoms such as persistent swelling, stiffness and joint pain to see their physicians.

Arthritis Foundation officials say that one in every seven people--about 40 million Americans--is affected by arthritis, and people of any age can suffer from it. But there is hope.

"After two to three months of exercising, most people report less pain and decreased anxiety," said Marian Sullivan of the Foundation. "Early treatment can often prevent permanent damage to joints."

When some patients do not respond to medical treatment or therapy, surgery may be the only option. Common types of surgery are joint replacement, for cases where joints are completely destroyed, and minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, said Butcher, who practices with Aptekar in Los Gatos.

"A joint replacement in a hip or knee is the most dramatic thing," he said. "We can take a person who's been on crutches or in a wheelchair and help them to walk again."

For more information about National Arthritis Month, call the Arthritis Foundation at 1-800-464-6240.

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