Therapeutic Strategies for Degenerative Joint Disease: Overcoming Pain and Improving Function – Shane Malecha

• Diagnostic Techniques & Clinical Clues for the Evaluation of DJD
• Options and Strategies to Prevent or Delay Arthritic Changes
• Rehabilitation and Recovery Techniques to Return Adult Patients to Active Lifestyles
• Case Studies and Practice Labs

For many adults, an active lifestyle is simply a way of life. The process of degenerative joint disease, or arthritis, often stops them in their tracks. Getting patients back into action, while curbing patient re-admission and managing Medicare’s multiple procedure payment reduction and therapy cap are challenges you face every day. Attend this seminar and gain valuable tips and strategies to address these challenges.

Join Shane Malecha, PT, DPT, MS, CSCS, and learn the concepts of Degenerative Joint Disease in a way that makes a confusing and often overwhelming topic fun, understandable and applicable to the next patient interaction. Case studies and mock patient presentations not only make the seminar fun and entertaining, they also put the concepts into action, allowing you to create a thought pattern to apply when a patient is in your office. Shane will take you through the assessment process, detailing the key steps of the pathology, evaluation techniques and concepts, specifically including skills to evaluate and treat the degenerative joint.

You will learn the non-operative and surgical interventions currently being used to treat DJD patients, as well as the latest rehabilitation protocols that will take the individual to active once again.

OUTLINE

Diagnostic Criteria for Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)

• American Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines
• Arthritis foundation’s guidelines

Patient Presentation

• Medical history
• DJD v. Rheumatoid Arthritis v. Gout
• Other Arthritic conditions

The Pathophysiology of DJD in:

• Weight-bearing joints
• Non-weight bearing joints
• The spine

Joint Conservation

• Silver Sneakers
• Ergonomic work and home environments
• Biomechanics
• Positional awareness

Techniques to Maintain Mobility

• Motion is lotion
• Muscle balance
• Joint stability
• Diet and supplements
  • Super foods
  • Over the counter supplements

Medical Management

• Medication
  • Benefits
  • Risks

Surgical

• Arthroscopy
• Total joint arthroplasty
  • Total hip
  • Total knee
  • Total shoulder
    • Conventional
    • Reverse
• Ankle
• MCP replacement

Physical Therapy Management

• Pre-Hab
  • Introduction of assistive devices
  • Pre-op exercise program
  • Smoking cessation
  • Weight reduction
  • Motivational interviewing techniques

Total Joint Regimens

• Acute care post-op
  • Post-op teaching
  • Gait instruction specific to intervention
  • Exercise programs
  • Critical pathways
• Precautions

Outpatient Rehab

• Program Goals
• Design of exercise regimen
• Scar care management
• Outcome measure
• Gait Progression
  • Household v. community ambulation
  • Addressing the “What can I do?”
  • Mature adult
  • Middle-aged adult

Convalescence

• 1+ year to complete recovery
• Activity guideline
• Quality of life
• Cost benefits of activities

OBJECTIVES

1. Summarize the commonly-experienced condition of degenerative joint disease.
2. Explain focused history taking techniques and examination methods to create diagnostic skills for evaluation of upper and lower extremity degenerative joints.
3. Evaluate the decision-making processes regarding conservative and surgical treatment options for patients with degenerative joints.
4. Obtain methods to effectively educate patients regarding: the arthritic process, treatment options, recovery steps, and long-term expectations.
5. Describe recovery and rehabilitation stages to counsel and consult patients.
6. Determine the strategies to share with patients to optimally prevent or delay arthritic changes.