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This is a complete guide to Osteoarthritis which will help you whatever your circumstances. At the end of this article you can find the best Osteoarthritis and painful joint supplement for 2020. The winner of our scientific poll of health care professionals and recommended by the National Library of Medicine. Before you check that however it is important you read the whole article to arm yourself with information and knowledge.
When you feel stiff and achy and your joints hurt, there’s a good chance you have osteoarthritis or OA, one of the oldest and most common forms of arthritis.
Often known as the “wear and tear” kind of arthritis, osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. Because cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows the joint to move easily, when it breaks down, bones rub against each other, causing stiffness, pain and even loss of movement.
Osteoarthritis dates back to the Ice Age and now some 27 million Americans live with it. But even after all those years, there is no cure and no definitive cause has been discovered.
Contributing factors, however, may include age, obesity, injury, overuse and genetics. Knowing and controlling these risk factors can help you minimize your risk or avoid getting osteoarthritis altogether.
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Cartilage loses its elasticity and is more easily damaged by injury or just by daily use.
This wear and tear on cartilage causes changes to the underlying bone. The bone thickens and cysts may occur underneath the cartilage. Bony growths, called spurs or osteophytes, form near the end of the bone of the affected joint.
Pieces of bone or cartilage float in the joint spaces.
The joint lining, called the synovium, becomes inflamed due to the cartilage breakdown. This causes the formation of inflammation proteins (cytokines) and enzymes which damage the cartilage even more.
Changes in the cartilage and bones of your joints can lead to pain, stiffness and even limitations in how you can use your body. Deterioration of cartilage can:
Affect the shape and makeup of your joint so that it doesn’t function smoothly. This can mean that you have trouble going up and down stairs or you may limp when you walk.
Cause fragments of bone and cartilage to float in joint fluid, resulting in pain and irritation.
Cause bony spurs to develop near the ends of bones.
Means the joint fluid doesn’t have enough hyaluronan, which affects the joint’s ability to absorb shock.
You may hear osteoarthritis referred to by many different names including degenerative joint disease, osteoarthrosis, hypertrophic arthritis and degenerative arthritis. But whatever it’s called, osteoarthritis can be a manageable part of your life when you’re armed with resources to keep it under control.
There isn’t one main cause of osteoarthritis, but there are several risk factors that can make you more likely to develop it. Knowing those risks and doing what you can to fight them can actually help lower your chances of ending up with the disease.
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There are two types of osteoarthritis – primary and secondary. Primary osteoarthritis is related to aging and the “wear and tear” of life. The older you are, the more likely you are to have some degree of primary arthritis. Secondary osteoarthritis is attributed to some more specific known cause such as injury or obesity. These are the most common risk factors that can work together to cause osteoarthritis.
Because the older you are, the more you have used your joints, the chances of developing osteoarthritis increase as you age. Although age is an important risk factor, it doesn’t mean, however, that osteoarthritis is inevitable.
For every pound you gain, you add four pounds of pressure on your knees. Since gaining weight gradually increases joint stress, the weight you gain – particularly in middle age – plays a big role in determining if you’ll develop osteoarthritis.
Athletes and people who have jobs that require doing repetitive motion have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis due to injury and increased joint stress. Take precautions to avoid injury and modify your movements to lessen that stress.
Inherited characteristics such as bone abnormalities can play a role in osteoarthritis development, particularly in the hands. Having these traits doesn’t ensure osteoarthritis, but your doctor should check you closely and frequently for symptoms.
Studies show that weakness of the muscles surrounding the knee can lead to osteoarthritis. If you do strengthening exercises for thigh muscles, that can reduce the risk.
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People with other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, hemochromatosis (having too much iron) and acromegaly (excess growth hormone) tend to have a greater chance of developing osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis doesn’t discriminate. It is common in all races and backgrounds. In fact, it is the most common type of arthritis in the United States, with nearly 27 million people affected by it. Osteoarthritis of the knee and hips is the most common cause of arthritis-related disability in the U.S.
The older you are, the greater your risk for osteoarthritis. It most commonly affects middle-aged and older people, with most people getting it after age 45.
Osteoarthritis affects both men and women. However, overall, women are more affected than men, especially with osteoarthritis of the fingers and the knees. Men under age 55 are more likely to have osteoarthritis than women of the same age. After age 55, women are more commonly affected. Researchers believe that because women have broader hips than men, this puts more long-term stress on the knees which means more osteoarthritis.
In a 2008 study which suggested that nearly 1 in 2 people will develop knee osteoarthritis before they turn 85, researchers found that the risk rose to 2 in 3 for people who were overweight or obese. Although race and sex seemed to have no effect on the risk of getting knee osteoarthritis, the study found that the chances went up significantly with increasing body weight. Those who stayed at a normal weight throughout their lives had the lowest lifetime risk of any group in the study – 30 percent. Those whose weight fluctuated from normal to overweight/obese had the highest lifetime risk of knee osteoarthritis – 60 percent.
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In this 2019 study reported by the US National Library of Medicine these were the findings.
Based on results of this study that was conducted in Sanandaj, the center of Kurdistan province in Iran, living in highland areas, using regular toilet, having history of knee injury and lower limb fracture, higher BMI, using high-heeled shoes in the past, having pain and swelling (lasting for one month) in past years and increasing in the number of pregnancies were recognized as risk factors for knee osteoarthritis.
Every person, of course, is different, so every person may be affected differently by osteoarthritis. But there are general symptoms to look for if you suspect you may have osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis most commonly occurs in the weight-bearing joints of the hips, knees and lower back. It also affects the neck, small finger joints, the base of the thumb and the big toe. Osteoarthritis rarely affects other joints except when injury or stress is involved.
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Most often, osteoarthritis develops gradually. It may start out as soreness or stiffness that is more of a nuisance than a medical issue. Your pain may be moderate, occasional and may not interfere with your day-to-day activities. Some people’s osteoarthritis will never progress past this early stage.
For some people, however, their osteoarthritis will advance to a point where it interferes with everyday life. Pain and stiffness could make it difficult for them to walk, climb stairs or sleep. Rarely, a person with osteoarthritis will experience sudden signs of inflammation such as redness, pain and swelling known as inflammatory or erosive osteoarthritis.
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Joint soreness after periods of overuse or inactivity
Stiffness after resting that goes away quickly when you’re active again
Morning stiffness, which usually lasts no more than 30 minutes
Pain caused by the weakening of muscles surrounding the joint due to inactivity
Joint pain that is usually less in the morning and worse in the evening after the day’s activity
Problems with coordination, posture and walking due to pain and stiffness
If osteoarthritis is in the hips, you may experience:
Pain in your groin, inner thigh and buttock
Referred pain in your knee and side of thigh
Limping when you walk
If osteoarthritis is in the knees, you may experience:
Pain when moving your knee
Grating or catching when moving your knee
Pain when you walk up and down stairs or when you get up from a chair
Pain that prevents you from exercising your leg
Weakened, large thigh muscles
If osteoarthritis is in the fingers, you may experience:
Pain and swelling of your finger joints
Bony growth spurs at the joint at the end of your finger, called Heberden’s nodes, or at the middle joint, called Bouchard’s nodes.
Redness, tenderness and swelling in the affected joints, especially early on when the nodes are forming
Enlarged joints
Difficulty with pinching movements, such as picking an item up from a table or grasping a pencil or pen.
If osteoarthritis is in the feet, you may experience:
Pain and tenderness in the large joint at the base of your big toe
Pain when wearing tight shoes or high heels
If osteoarthritis is in the spine, you may experience:
A breakdown of the spinal discs resulting in bony overgrowth
Stiffness and pain in your neck and lower back
Pressure on the nerves in your spinal cord (pinched nerves)
Pain in your neck, shoulder, arm, lower back and legs
Weakness or numbness in your arms and legs due to pinched nerves result in inflammation.
It is important that you take an active role in the treatment of your osteoarthritis and in the prevention of additional joint damage. There are even steps you can take to lower your risk for developing osteoarthritis at all.
However, it is crucial that you go to your doctor for a diagnosis before you treat osteoarthritis on your own. Several other conditions seem similar to osteoarthritis, but are treated in different ways. Once you get a proper diagnosis, you can begin early, aggressive action. Treatment may change as the disease progresses or improves so it’s important that you continue to play an active part in your osteoarthritis management.
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Early diagnosis and treatment is the key to controlling osteoarthritis. Your doctor will take a medical history and perform a physical exam to assess your disease activity. He or she may use X-rays to confirm or strengthen a diagnosis, although most people over 60 reflect osteoarthritis on X-ray while only one-third have actual symptoms.
Osteoarthritis is mostly common diagnosed by a family physician, but often a patient may later be referred to an arthritis specialist, called a rheumatologist, for specific treatment. Other health professionals you may encounter along the way may include orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
Your doctor will use four main tools to determine your diagnosis: your medical history, a physical exam, X-rays, and joint aspiration. The medical history and physical exam will be what he or she bases the diagnosis on, using tests such as X-rays and joint aspirations to confirm the diagnosis.
A medical history probably is your doctor’s best tool for diagnosing osteoarthritis. The more your doctor knows about you, the faster and better he will be able to diagnose your condition and determine the best treatment for you. Your doctor will want to know about your health background, including any diseases or conditions you currently have, any allergies you have to medications or other substances, and surgeries and other medical procedures you’ve been through. Following is a list of questions your doctor might ask:
What is the main symptom or problem you are having that made you seek medical attention?
Are there any other symptoms you have been experiencing?
How long have you been experiencing symptoms? When and how did they begin?
Do your symptoms affect your ability to work or perform other daily activities?
Do you have any other medical conditions?
Have your parents, siblings or other blood relatives been diagnosed with a form of arthritis?
During your medical history, your doctor will want you to describe any pain you are experiencing. Since pain is the number one complaint of people with osteoarthritis, it is important for you to describe your pain accurately. Is it burning, grinding, sharp or achy? When do you normally notice your pain and other symptoms? Are they tied to an activity or lack of activity? Are your symptoms, including pain, constant, or do they come and go? Have they gotten better, worse or stayed the same throughout time? If your pain increases during the day or becomes worse in the evening, you may have osteoarthritis.
This is a lot of information to remember. It is a good idea to write down some answers to these questions before you visit the doctor.
Your doctor also will perform a physical exam to determine a diagnosis. He will be looking for common symptoms reported in osteoarthritis, including:
Your doctor will probably use lab tests to confirm a diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
Joint aspiration (or arthrocentesis).
This involves draining fluid from the joint for examination. It can help rule out other medical conditions. After applying a local anesthetic, your doctor will insert a needle into the joint and withdraw fluid. The fluid will be examined for evidence of crystals or joint deterioration.
X-rays. X-rays are used to highlight damage or other changes to cartilage and bone that indicate osteoarthritis.
This is essentially a more sophisticated way than X-rays of taking a picture of the abnormalities that can occur due to osteoarthritis. You lie on a table that slides inside a tunnel-like area that creates a magnetic field around you. It shows more detail than X-rays, without the radiation risk, but it is more expensive as well.
Because there is no surefire test that diagnosis osteoarthritis, your doctor will use your medical history, physical exam and lab test results to look for indicators of osteoarthritis, including:
Pain, stiffness and limited movement in affected joints
Bony enlargement of the affected joints
X-rays that might show formation of bone spurs
Narrowing of the joint space from cartilage loss shown on an X-ray
Make sure you get the proper information about your diagnosis from your doctor before you leave the office.
This includes basic information about your condition and its management.
The results of your tests and what these results indicate?
Your treatment options and how they work?
When you should expect results from a prescribed treatment?
Possible side effects of any medications and what to do if you experience them?
Which changes in symptoms you should report to your doctor?
Appropriate types of exercise and any lifestyle changes you should make?
Resources for additional information
When to make your next appointment and what to do between now and then?
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