Osteoarthritis

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is a degenerative joint disease that affects the cartilage in the joints.

The cartilage that cushions and protects the joints is damaged over time, causing the bones to rub against each other. Areas most affected are the knees, carpal joints, spine, and hips. This friction leads to pain and stiffness during movement and can also cause loss of flexibility and swelling at the joints. Pain can cause difficulty in walking, climbing the stairs, and performing everyday tasks.

Factors like age, obesity, previous injury and genetics present a high risk of developing this condition. Osteoarthritis also affects the small joints of the fingers especially the thumb, as well as the toes, ankle, and neck. Although the damage done cannot be reversed, the condition can be managed by staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and getting the right treatment to slow the disease's progression.

What are the symptomes of Osteoarthritis?

Symptoms of osteoarthritis often develop slowly and worsen over time. Some symptoms you might notice include:

• Bone spurs
• Grating sensation
• Loss of flexibility
• Pain and stiffness
• Swelling and tenderness

What causes Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis happens when cartilage that cushions the end of bones in your joints get worn down. This typically takes place over a period of time and eventually, if the cartilage has worn down completely, bone will rub on bone causing pain.

Osteoarthritis does not just affect the cartilage in joints, it may also affect the entire joint. It causes changes in your bones and weakens the strong bands of tissue that hold your joints together and attach muscle to bone. 

What are the risk factors of Osteoarthritis?

Factors that may increase your risk of osteoarthritis include:

• Age: Your risk of osteoarthritis increases as you grow older.
• Gender: Women are at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis.
• Obesity: Increased weight adds extra stress to weight-bearing joints such as your hips and knees which may increase your risk of osteoarthritis.
• Repeated stress on your joints: If you are in a job or participate in physical activities that place repeated stress on your knees, the joint may eventually develop osteoarthritis.
• Genetics: Some people are genetically predisposed to developing osteoarthritis.

How do you prevent Osteoarthritis?

Here are some ways you can lower your risk of developing osteoarthritis:

• Avoid joint injuries: Suffering a joint injury when you are young may lead to you developing osteoarthritis when you are older. To avoid joint injuries, you should do warm-up exercises before engaging in sports, wear proper footwear and land with both knees when jumping.
• Maintain muscle strength: Muscles help support your joints so having strong muscles will go a long way towards preventing the development of osteoarthritis.
• Maintain a healthy weight: Excess weight puts additional stress on your joints, especially the ones on your knees, hips and joints of the feet. 
• Eat a healthy diet: Eating a well-balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, which is beneficial for your joints.

How is Osteoarthritis diagnosed?

Imaging Tests
Imaging tests are done with ultrasound, x-ray or CT scan to check cartilage loss or bone spurs around a joint.