Osteoarthritis

Alternative Names

Osteoarthritis; Hypertrophic osteoarthritis; Osteoarthrosis; Degenerative joint disease; DJD; OA; Arthritis – osteoarthritis

What is Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis, that prevalent among older people. This disease affected over 20 million people in the United States.

Osteoarthritis starts when cartilage begins to turn ragged and wears away. Cartilage is the tissue that pads bones in a joint. At its worst, the disease causes all of the cartilage in a joint to wear away, leaving bones that rub against each other. Osteoarthritis typically affects the hands, neck, lower back or the large weight-bearing joints of the body such as knees and hips.

Signs and symptoms

As a rule, symptoms of osteoarthritis develop gradually and include the followings:

• Joint aching and soreness, especially with movement
• Pain after overuse or after long periods of inactivity
• Bony enlargements in the middle and end joints of the fingers (which may or may not be painful)
• Joint swelling and joint fluid accumulation

Possible complications

Osteoarthritis can cause such complications as:

• Reactions to drugs used for treatment
• Decreased ability to perform everyday activities such as personal hygiene, household chores or cooking
• Decreased ability to wall

What causes

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints deteriorates over time. Cartilage is a firm, slippery tissue that permits nearly frictionless joint motion. In osteoarthritis, the slick surface of the cartilage becomes rough. Eventually, if the cartilage wears down completely, you may be left with bone rubbing on bone.

Prevention

The best way to prevent this disease is not to overuse a painful joint at work or during activities.

Treatment

Osteoarthritis is treated by physical therapy with muscle strengthening exercises, oral medications, hot and cold compresses to the painful joint, removal of joint fluid, injection of medications into the joint, use of supportive devices such as crutches or canes and weight control. In some cases, surgery is used to relieve pain if other treatments have not been effective.

The type of treatment prescribed will depend on such factors as your age, activities and occupation, overall health, medical history, location of your osteoarthritis and severity of the condition.