Osteoarthritis, commonly known as wear and tear arthritis, is the most common type of arthritis. It is associated with a breakdown of cartilage in joints and can occur in almost any joint in the body. It commonly occurs in the weight-bearing joints of the hips, knees, and spine. It also affects the fingers, thumb, neck, and large toe.
Who gets osteoarthritis?
The chance of developing the disease increases with age. Most people over age sixty have osteoarthritis to some extent but its severity varies. Even people in their twenties and thirties can get osteoarthritis although there is often an underlying reason, such as joint injury or repetitive joint stress from overuse. In people over age sixty, more women than men have osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
Symptoms of osteoarthritis often develop gradually and include:
- Joint aching and soreness, especially with movement
- Pain after overuse or after long periods of inactivity
- Stiffness after periods of rest
- Body enlargement in the middle and end joints of the fingers (which may or may not be painful)
- Joint swelling
Causes of Osteoarthritis
Several factors increase a person’s chances of developing osteoarthritis. These include:
- Heredity: Some people have an inherited defect in one of the genes responsible for making cartilage. This causes defective cartilage, which leads to more rapid deterioration of joints. People born with joint abnormalities are more likely to develop osteoarthritis and those born with an abnormality of the spine (such as scoliosis or curvature of the spine) are more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the spine.
- Obesity: Obesity increases the risk for osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and spine. Maintaining ideal weight or losing excess weight may help prevent osteoarthritis of these areas or decrease the rate of progression once osteoarthritis is established.
- Injury: Injuries contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. For example, athletes who have knee-related injuries might be at higher risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee. In addition, people who have had a severe back injury may be predisposed to develop osteoarthritis of the spine. People who have had a broken bone near a joint are prone to develop osteoarthritis in that joint.
- Joint overuse: Overuse of certain joints increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis. For example, people in jobs requiring repeated bending of the knee are at increased risk for developing osteoarthritis of the knee.
- Other diseases: People with rheumatoid arthritis, the second most common type of arthritis are more likely to develop osteoarthritis. Additionally, certain rare conditions such as iron overload or excess growth hormone increase the chance of developing osteoarthritis.
Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis
The diagnosis of osteoarthritis is based on a combination of the following factors:
- Your description of the symptoms
- The location and pattern of pain
- Physical exam
- X-ray
Treatment of Osteoarthritis
It is treated by a combination of treatments including, exercise, weight loss, physical therapy with muscle strengthening exercises, hot and cold compresses to the painful joint, removal of joint fluid, injection of medications into the joint, and use of supportive devices such as crutches or canes. Surgery might be helpful to relieve pain when other treatment options have not been effective.
The type of treatment will depend on several factors including your age, activities, and occupation. Overall health, medical history, location of your osteoarthritis, and severity of the condition.
Home remedies for Osteoarthritis
- Gentle exercises
- Self-massage
- Hot paraffin soak
- Wrist, hand or finger splints
- Eat fermented foods
- Use chili pepper lotion
- Use probiotic supplements
- Use glucosamine/chondroitin supplement
- Eat fish oil
- Turmeric
- Reduce sugar intake
- Eat gluten-free diets
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Compiled By: Delight Donkor
