Osteoarthritis is caused by the degeneration of the cartilage between the joints of the body. Cartilage is a hard, slippery tissue between the joints that allows the bones to glide over each other without actually touching. Osteoarthritis usually affects older people, but anyone can have this disease, especially if there has been excessive trauma or use of the joint. This disease can affect any joint in the body but the most commonly affected are the knees, hips, fingers and back.
You may be wondering what causes osteoarthritis and what you can do to prevent it. While the exact cause isn't clear, many researchers agree that a main factor in developing osteoarthritis is aging and joint use. Approximately 70 percent of the population aged 75 and over are affected by osteoarthritis. Other risk factors include being overweight, muscle weakness and a family history of osteoarthritis. Some scientists think there may be a mechanical cause for osteoarthritis. The cartilage between your bones releases certain chemicals that cause it to breakdown and then rebuild on a regular basis. When these chemicals become unbalanced, the cartilage breaks down faster than it can rebuild itself. Scientists are still unclear as to why these chemicals become unbalanced in the first place.
A good way to prevent osteoarthritis from affecting your knees and/or hips is to maintain a healthy weight. Another good preventive measure is exercise. You don't have to become a marathon runner, just get a moderate amount of exercise daily. Too much exercise can actually increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis. Exercise will also increase the strength of your muscles which will help keep your joints properly aligned, thereby decreasing the risk of osteoarthritis. Vitamin D has been linked to osteoarthritis; a deficiency of this key vitamin has been shown to speed the development of this disease.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are joint stiffness after a period of rest, such as sitting or sleeping and joint pain upon movement. The joint pain may be constant during movement or only happen when you move a certain way. Since osteoarthritis worsens slowly, the pain may start as just an ache in the joints when you are in your 30s or 40s. Many people consider this a sign of getting older and don't talk to their doctor about it. These people don't bring it to their doctor's attention until they have more severe symptoms, such as swollen, tender joints and a crunching sound or grinding feeling when using the affected joint. An extreme symptom of osteoarthritis is deformed joints. This happens when the body tries to repair the cartilage and instead deposits calcium on the ends of the bone, causing the arthritis to worsen.
There is no single test to determine if you have osteoarthritis. Your doctor will talk to you about your joint pain and stiffness. He or she may also do a general check-up to see about your overall health and to see if you have any symptoms of other diseases that could be causing the joint pain. Your doctor will also examine the specific joints that are bothering you. If your doctor rules out any other disease that could cause joint pain, you may also receive an X-ray of the affected joint. This is to examine the cartilage and see if there is any wear or damage. If you have osteoarthritis, your doctor may schedule you for multiple x-rays over a length of time to see how the disease progresses. Another test that your doctor may use to diagnose osteoarthritis is joint aspiration. In joint aspiration, your doctor inserts a needle in the space between your joint and withdraws a small amount of fluid. This fluid is then examined under a microscope for white blood cells. If the count is below 500 cells per square millimeter (mm²), osteoarthritis is diagnosed.
There is no cure for osteoarthritis currently. Treatment goals for people suffering from osteoarthritis are to improve joint movement while decreasing joint pain and stiffness. This is usually achieved by combining two or more treatment strategies. If you only suffer from mild pain, an over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen or aspirin, may be best for your pain, while exercising will help with the stiffness. Sometimes acetaminophen is not strong enough and a prescription pain medication is required. Once you start the prescription, you will have to see your doctor regularly because you will be on this pain medication for an extended length of time and your doctor will be able to determine if you have any side effects and can switch prescriptions, if needed. Another at-home treatment option for stiffness is to use ice, heat on the joint, the heat will ease the stiffness before exercising, and the ice will help reduce any swelling that may occur.
Some sufferers gain relief by having medication injected directly into the joint. Losing weight can also be considered a treatment for osteoarthritis because the excess weight puts extra strain on your joints, which can cause the cartilage to wear out more quickly. As a last resort, surgery can be considered to replace knee or hip joints. This is only done when the joint has been severely damaged and does not respond well to other treatment options. There are three surgery options available, you and your doctor will decide which one is best for you. The first surgery is osteotomy, where bone growths are removed to help realign the joint. This is usually done on the knee. The second option is arthrodesis, where the doctors fuse the joint together. The final option is a total joint replacement. This procedure can be done in almost any hospital. This type of surgery often brings improved function and pain relief.
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