A Look at Osteoarthritis
- Dr. Matthew Holmes
- Aug 24, 2018
- 3 min read
Osteoarthritis
Everyday we encounter sore muscles and joints throughout our daily activities. Even in old age our bodies wear down and the simplest activities become very difficult. This condition is called arthritis and it has become a household name. It has affected people of different shapes, sizes, and ages. This is a closer look at what osteoarthritis is and how it can be fixed.
Osteoarthritis is commonly referred to as arthritis. This condition involves the joints in our body. Our joints all have cartilage and other soft tissue structures for support. We know that we have the condition when the cartilage starts to wear down inside of a joint. Without that support the joint starts to get worn down and more stress is put on that joint. In result the condition worsens. In some cases the cartilage is completely worn down and there is no cartilage to support the joint. Then there is bone on bone contact, which causes inflammation. The inflammation is what causes the pain, swelling, redness, and restricted motion
The exact mechanism for this condition is unknown. Some people appear to have a genetic predisposition to degenerative joint disease. These are possibilities for those who develop osteoarthritis.
Trauma to joints
Overuse
Overweight
Age
Genetics (hereditary)
Bone deformities
Work
Symptoms
There are distinct symptoms that a person with osteoarthritis will feel once it appears. The key symptom of osteoarthritis is inflammation. This metabolic process involves redness, pain, swelling, increased heat, and loss of function. Additional symptoms are clicking or cracking of the joints and pain that is worse after activity. The symptoms can also change according to what joint is being affected.
Hips: The pain is felt in the groin, buttocks, knee, or thigh
Knee: There are grating or scraping sensations occurring with movements
Feet: Swelling of the ankles or toes
Fingers: Become swollen. There is pain in the base of the thumb or other fingers.
Osteoarthritis may affect health due to pain, reduced mobility, and the side effects of medications. These things may cause a sedentary lifestyle that leads to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. People with osteoarthritis experience 30% more falls and have 20% greater risk of fracture. There is decreased function, muscle weakness, and impaired balance. Narcotic pain relievers can cause people to be dizzy or unbalanced. Women are more affected than men over 50.
Treatments
Exercise can be used to decrease pain, increase flexibility, and improve blood flow. It helps improve range of motion and mobility. Making sure to exercise regularly can decrease the symptoms of arthritis.
Hot or cold therapies can help alleviate pain and bring down swelling.
Massage is very helpful for removing restriction and increase lubrication to the joint.
Acupuncture can decrease symptoms in the specific areas of pain. A TENS unit can help with control the pain.
Nutritional supplement like chondroitin, glucosamine, magnesium, fish oil, and alfalfa are helping provide relief and maintenance of joints.
Over the counter medications like pain relievers and NSAIDS’s can help with sudden flare-ups of pain. Topical creams may also have anti-inflammatory medications inside to help fight against the pain
Corticosteroids are a common treatment via injection to help reduce inflammation and block pain signals.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option for a person depending different factors. These factors would be age, level degeneration to the joint, and severity of pain. There are different procedures that can be done to help treat the condition. Removal of loose pieces of bone and cartilage from the joint (arthroscopic debridement) can be utilized. Re-positioning of bone is another procedure also called an osteotomy. If there are bone spurs in the joints, they can be removed by resurfacing the joint or smoothing out the rough edges of the joint. If the joint has too much degeneration and damage to be repaired, joint rep
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