As concern about the cost of health care continues to be a top concern for most Americans, those who look at the potential cost of dealing with the osteoarthritis symptoms in a hip or knee may believe their money is better spent by just "getting it fixed" with joint replacement.

But Dr. Lynn Rasmussen, an orthopedic surgeon with Intermountain Healthcare, believes there are better alternatives. He and Dale Aguirre, a physical therapist and program director for an arthritis treatment program at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, will answer questions about the disease and the various options for treatment today from 10 a.m. to noon during the monthly Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline.

During the free phone-in program, callers can speak with the specialists about any question related to arthritis. From the Salt Lake area, call 801-236-6061. Elsewhere, the toll-free number is 1-800-925-8177, only operational during hotline hours.

Both experts agree that simply opting for surgical joint replacement without exploring other options first is "the wrong conclusion for those in a downward spiral of putting on weight, becoming sedentary and obese, who can then develop diabetes and heart disease, pulmonary problems and sleep apnea.

"For them to say 'I just need to get this painful joint fixed so I can then become more active and turn my life around,' you would think that's a logical approach," Rasmussen said. "But in my experience, there's so many other factors going on with these patients that fixing a joint rarely seems to result in them changing their eating habits and getting more exercise. It's so rare that it happens that way."

Patients who want to reduce pain and see better results "need to turn their lives around before surgery, rather than waiting for the surgery to do that. Too many people are looking for the quick fix and not what they really need to do for their entire physical well-being."

Early intervention to deal with arthritis can often keep patients from entering the downward spiral of pain, becoming sedentary and gaining weight, which adds to their pain and creates other health problems.

Aguirre said the major symptom of osteoarthritis is pain with movement and loss of range of motion in the affected limb. "That's when their level of activity starts to decrease," he said. "You can see the degeneration in the joint on an X-ray."

Cracks and fissures begin to form in the cartilage that shields bones within the joint from rubbing directly on each other. "There are ways to ease the symptoms a little and slow the degeneration, but for the most part, once it starts, it's just going to go," Aguirre said.