What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease where the cartilage that provides cushioning between bones of joints breaks down, and pain and stiffness occurs in the joints as a result of the cartilage loss. It most commonly affects the hands, knees, hips, and spine but osteoarthritis can affect any join the body. Cartilage cannot be replaced, so it is best to be able to start mediating osteoarthritis as early as possible because it is possible to slow the progression of the disease.

This joint disease is more common for women than men, and osteoarthritis is seen more often in older people in the same way it is for rheumatoid arthritis. There are also possible health complications that can stem from having osteoarthritis.

What Causes Osteoarthritis?

The primary reason that most people will develop in osteoarthritis in a joint is because of repeated stress on the joint. People with certain types of employment or activities may be more susceptible to osteoarthritis because of repeated motions that place stress on the joint. Joint injury can also be a pat of what cause osteoarthritis. It is not uncommon for people to incur a major injury to a joint in their youth and then have it heal naturally only to have it be osteoarthritic in their older age.

Obesity and carrying excess body weight is a common cause of osteoarthritis in the knees and hips. Some people will have a genetic predisposition to getting osteoarthritis, and if one of your parents has the disease then there is a higher likelihood that you will too. Bone deformities and metabolic conditions like diabetes or hemochromatosis may also be contributors to osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Common osteoarthritis symptoms include joint pain and stiffness, tenderness, loss of flexibility, a grating sensation with movement of the joint, swelling, or getting bone spurs. The person may also have increasing difficulty moving to an upright position after sleep or prolonged rest in a prone position. Complications from osteoarthritis may involve them having difficulty sleeping or becoming depressed.

Osteoarthritis Treatment

The standard approach for osteoarthritis treatment is to have the person start on a course of NSAID medication with ones like Celebrex or Clinoril. Cortisone or hyaluronic injections (Synvisc) may also be recommended if medication is insufficient for osteoarthritis relief. Other treatment approaches may involve physical and / or occupational therapy, and in instances of severe knee osteoarthritis a knee osteotomy may be needed. This involves bones in the knee being surgically realigned.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has shown itself to be helpful for some people to relieve osteoarthritis immobility and stiffness. This may be a possibility for treatment too.