OA is the most common cause of disability and about half of patients with other chronic illnesses also have osteoarthritis. There are certain myths patients have about degenerative joint disease that continue to persist but simply are not true. Here are the top 5 and the actual truths:
1) Osteoarthritis is simply part and parcel of getting old
a. It is not inevitable. It's a complicated process and one that has to do with the way receptors in cartilage cells react to physical forces.
2) Medical imaging tells the whole osteoarthritis story
a. In fact, we cannot tell how much pain or trouble functioning a patient will have based on the x-ray degeneration. The two do not correlate. Meniscal tears on MRI's in older patients are seen over 80% of the time, but they are not usually a cause of pain.
3) Nothing can be done for osteoarthritis.
a. We cannot rebuild cartilage yet. That may be something stem cells help us with in the future. However, treatments such as physical therapy, medications, injections, bracing, can help dramatically relieve pain non-operatively.
4) Patients think when they are using a joint they are causing damage.
a. No evidence actually backs this up. Evidence actually supports the long term benefits of exercise. When a patient receives an injection into an arthritic joint, it can allow exercise and increased musculoskeletal and cardiac health. The pain relief allows for these benefits, and further joint damage is not always promoted.
5) Patients think they will all need surgery from osteoarthritis.
a. About 40% of senior citizens have osteoarthritis of the knees or hips. Only about 5% of those will ever undergo a joint replacement.
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