Osteoarthritis

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is often referred to as a degenerative joint disease and is the most common form of arthritis. It predominately affects middle-aged and older people, involving the neck, lower back, knees, hips and fingers. However, it can also occur in younger patients with predisposing factors. It also occurs in joints that have suffered previous injury, been subjected to prolonged heavy use, or damaged by prior infection or inflammatory arthritis. Patients with osteoarthritis report joint pain and loss of function.

Cause

Osteoarthritis is caused due to degeneration of the joint cartilage. The causes of cartilage loss are multiple. Some forms of osteoarthritis are known to be hereditary, including the common form that causes enlargement of the knuckles. In most people, cartilage breakdown is mainly due to mechanical ("wear and tear") effects and in some cases biochemical effects.

Risk factors

A number of factors make osteoarthritis more likely:

Older age.
Obesity (add excess strain on joints),
Joint injury or over-use (sports people are particularly prone),
Gamily history of osteoarthritis.
Some people who have rheumatoid arthritis also develop so-called secondary osteoarthritis in the joints where their rheumatoid arthritis was active. For more information ask your doctor.

Health Impact

Osteoarthritis affects more than 21 million Americans and over 8 million people in the UK.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis.
Women are generally affected at a younger age than men.

Diagnosis

Osteoarthritis is suspected when pain develops in the commonly used joints such as the wrist, knee, elbow and hip. It can be diagnosed by a physical examination, x-rays and by ruling out other types of arthritis. Since it is so common, it may be present simultaneously with other types of arthritis.

Treatment

Therapy for osteoarthritis includes both medication and other treatments that help to relieve pain and improve joint function. Drug therapy normally begins with simple pain relievers (paracetomols) and progress to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or intermittent corticosteroid injections. Recently, liquid glucosamine solutions have proved to an effective treatment for osteoarthritis. In addition, recent research suggesting that some dietary ingredients may have a beneficial effect.

Other therapies include patient education, occupational and physical therapy and he application of heat and cold (hot and cold packs) to relieve pain. Supports such as knee, elbow, wrist supports can help to improve the quality of life for a patient and decrease pain. Joint surgery to repair or replace seriously damaged joints may be required to end pain and restore functional mobility.

Exercising with osteoarthritis

Exercises that will help a person with osteoarthritis include:

Aerobic exercise that builds cardiovascular endurance, such as walking, biking, or swimming.
Strength exercise, such as lifting weights.
Range-of-motion (flexibility) exercise, such as stretching or joint-specific exercises.
Exercises to avoid

If you have osteoarthritis in your hands, try to avoid exercises or sports that require a tight grip, such as bicycling. If you have osteoarthritis in your knees, try to avoid exercises that stress the knees, such as tennis.

Also, try to avoid over exercising. Joint pain that lasts longer than 2 hours after exercise may be a sign of over exercising. Studies show that exercising harder does not necessarily lead to further improvement in osteoarthritis pain or your ability to do your daily activities, so exercise within your tolerance. If an activity makes you feel sore, try something different. You can also change how you do the activity by trying any of the following:

Increase rest between repetitions or between activities.
Decrease your speed.
If you're walking or swimming, go a shorter distance. You may be able to take two or three short walks in a day rather than one long walk.
Spend a shorter time exercising, then rest and do a little more later.
Lift less weight.