Treatments for Bone Disorders
Treatment for bone disorders
Specific treatment for a bone disorder will be determined by your physician based on:
- your age, overall health, and medical history
- extent of the disease
- your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
- expectations for the course of the disease
- your opinion or preference
Treatment may include:
- assistive devices-(i.e., casts or crutches)
- core decompression-a surgical procedure in which the inner layer of bone is removed to reduce pressure, allow for increased blood flow, and slow or stop bone and/or joint destruction.
- osteotomy-a surgical procedure to reshape the bone and reduce stress on the affected area.
- bone graft-a surgical procedure in which healthy bone is transplanted from another part of the patient's body into the affected area.
- arthroplasty (total joint replacement)-a surgical procedure to remove and replace an arthritic or damaged joint with an artificial joint (called a prosthesis); may be considered only after other treatment options have failed to provide adequate relief from pain and/or disability.
- chemotherapy-when cancer is present, this systemic procedure involves the use of drugs to destroy the cancer cells.
- surgery-when cancer is present, surgery may include biopsy to diagnose and stage the cancer, and/or a procedure to remove the cancerous tissue or tumor.
- amputation-although limb-sparing surgery normally is the goal, sometimes, the extent of the cancer requires that an entire limb be removed, a surgical procedure called amputation.
- radiation therapy-when cancer is present, radiation may be used to kill cancerous cells. This type of treatment may include the following:
- external beam radiation-external beam therapy is delivered externally from a machine directed to the cancer inside the patient. Examples of external beam therapy machines include linear accelerators, cobalt machines, or orthovoltage x-ray machines. The type of machine used will be determined by the radiation oncologist.
External beam therapy delivers ionizing radiation to the cancer, destroying cancer cells. - internal radiation-radioactive pellets are implanted in the affected area.
- external beam radiation-external beam therapy is delivered externally from a machine directed to the cancer inside the patient. Examples of external beam therapy machines include linear accelerators, cobalt machines, or orthovoltage x-ray machines. The type of machine used will be determined by the radiation oncologist.