Osteoarthritis and arthritis

It is a  condition  that can affect any joint of the body and can make it to become

• Painful and stiff
• Swelling and tenderness
• Grating or crackling feeling when moving the joints

For many people the complains can be just mild,  but it could progress to moderate and to severe pains in the joints. So the severity is different for different people and also for different joints.

It most commonly affects the knees, hips, and small joints of the hands, but any joint in the body could be affected. For many people, the pains in the joints come and goes, but others it could be continuous and severe enough to affect their daily lives.

What causes osteoarthritis?

The joints in the body are  covered with cartilage which not only protects the bone but help make the easy movement of the joints possible.

But as a matter of age and constant exposure of the cartilage to constant slight damage, wear and tear, the cartilage breaks down and start to wear off leaving the surfaces of the bones exposed.  This causes pain, swelling and problem with the movement of the joints.

It is a slow gradual process but it continuous we get older until such a time it would just be bone grinding against bone during the movement of the joints.

Hence there are certain thing that can increase your chances of developing osteoarthritis:

 Age – the chances of you developing this condition increases as you put in more years.

 Joint injury – injury or operation to any joint not only increases the chances of you developing osteoarthritis in the joint but also osteoarthritis happens in that joint earlier than other joints.

Overweight – Being overweight puts more strain on the cartilage of the joints especially those joints that carry the weight of your body like the hips, knees and even the spine. Therefore people who are obese develop osteoarthritis at a younger age than others.

Family history – Osteoarthritis could also run in families.

Prevention of osteoarthritis

It may not be possible  to prevent the condition completely, but you may reduce the chances of developing the condition, or if you develop it would be a mild type of the condition and much later in your life.

 Weight loss – losing weight would help reduce the chances of osteoarthritis.

 Exercises –  helps keep the joint mobility, strengthen the muscles that support the joint and therefore reduce strain on the joint. Swimming, cycling, and brisk walks are controlled exercises that can help strengthen the muscles without putting much strain on the joint.

  Posture – maintain good posture at all times. If you work at the desk, avoid postures that put a strain on the joints like the neck and the back. Make sure the chair is the correct height, do not stay in the same position for too long and take regular breaks.

Tests for Osteoarthritis

Xray of the joint – osteoarthritis would show up on the Xray of the joint. But at times it could show on the Xray of the joint done for other reasons even before you start to have pain and stiffness of the joint.

Treatment

Osteoarthritis is a long term condition. It may not get worse over the time but at times the joint complains may improve with time especially if simple measures are taken.

Things you can do to help:

 If you are overweight, try to lose weight.

Regular exercises – keep the joints moving. Do not fall to the temptation of avoiding to use the joint. If you do that, the joint becomes stiffer and stiffer which even makes the joint more difficult to use.

Where the simple measures do not help, especially with more severe complains, you would need additional treatments like

Pain killers.

Structured and special exercises by the physiotherapist

Some people benefit from steroid injections to the joints like the knees and shoulders.

Where the joint has had been severely damaged, you may require surgery like hip or knee replacements.