Osteoarthritis: What You Need To Know

Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that occurs when there is wear and tear of the cartilage. According to the specialists of the finest bone specialist hospital in Bangalore, it damages all joints, but joints in the hips, knees, lower back or spine, and hands are most commonly affected by this condition.

Cartilage and Osteoarthritis

Before discussing osteoarthritis, first know about cartilage - a firm, rubbery structure in the joint between the two bones. As a cushioning structure, the cartilage acts like a shock absorber in the joint and helps in free movement in the joint. During weight-lifting activities, the cartilage suffers wear and tear; sometimes cartilage may become thin with age, resulting in osteoarthritis.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, which is in common terms known as - wear and tear of the joints. It can be seen more commonly in your knee joint, followed by the hip joint, and sometimes in the ankle and shoulder joints.

Osteoarthritis can be divided into two types; the first one is primary osteoarthritis, which is age-related osteoarthritis seen in the elderly population. The other is secondary osteoarthritis - associated with pre-existing conditions like diabetes, injury-related arthritis, and others.

What Are the Risk Factors Related to Osteoarthritis?

Certain risk factors associated with osteoarthritis in most of the Indian population are:

• Obesity or excessive weight

• Postmenopausal women, due to decreasing oestrogen levels

• Older age population

• Post-injury, fall from bike or accident

• People with diabetes and hyperlipidaemia.

• Repetitive stress on the joints.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

• Pain and stiffness in the joint.

• Decreased range of movement in the joints.

• Crackling sound in the joint.

• Difficulty sitting cross-legged, climbing stairs, or squatting.

Treatment of Osteoarthritis

Even though damage to joints in osteoarthritis is irreversible, some medications may hugely help relieve pain and regain mobility in the joint. Symptomatic treatments like over-the-counter pain medications or NSAIDs can help get relief from joint pain. Other proven therapies include physical therapy, occupational therapy (searching for ways to do daily tasks without stressing joints), and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (this uses low voltage electrical current to relieve pain).

Surgical and other related procedures which doctors may suggest are:

• Cortisone Injections - Corticosteroid injections may relieve joint pain for a few weeks.

• Lubrication Injections - Hyaluronic acid injections may relieve pain by cushioning your knee.

• Joint Replacement - In joint replacement surgery, the surgeon replaces the damaged joint surfaces with artificial ones.

Osteoarthritis worsens over time; its management can prevent the disease from progressing. Elderly people are more prone to osteoarthritis, but preventive measures are very helpful in overcoming its painful symptoms. Thus, always follow up on the advice of the orthopedic doctor in Bangalore and lead an active lifestyle which may aid in delaying the onset of wear and tear in the joints.

FAQs on Osteoarthritis

What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis?

Patients who are elderly, obese, and have previous joint injury are at an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. Other risk factors include repetitive joint use, such as manual labour or sports activities.

How to prevent osteoarthritis?

The following measures can be helpful to prevent osteoarthritis:

• Maintain a healthy weight 

• Avoid activities that put stress on your joints

• Strengthen the muscles around your joints

• Wear supportive shoes.

What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?

The most common symptoms that are observed in patients with osteoarthritis are joint pain, joint stiffness, and decreased range of motion in the affected joint.

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