Osteoarthritis is a disease related to the wear and tear of the joints. This wear leads to a progressive destruction of the cartilage. Joint capsules and muscles near the affected area can also be affected.
The cartilage is very important for the joints, since it is the tissue that cushions the movement of the bones. In the most severe cases, the cartilage wears out in a certain joint. This means that the bones rub against each other. Typically, osteoarthritis occurs in the hands, neck or back. It also occurs in joints that support more body weight, such as the knees and hips.
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Causes of osteoarthritis
The causes that cause osteoarthritis are not yet fully defined . On the other hand, it has been possible to demonstrate that this ailment is directly related to age . It is a risk factor due to the decrease in elasticity and the recovery capacity of the cartilage related to the passage of time. Still many young people already notice the first signs of joint wear.
Thus, it can be assumed therefore that osteoarthritis is caused by a combination of factors.
• Injuries and accidents. About one third of cases of osteoarthritis are due to an accident. The smaller of the lesions causes a process of degeneration of the articular cartilage. Even small tears in tendons and ligaments affect the cartilage.
• Sustained overload. When certain movements are carried out day after day for years can lead to an overload of the affected joints. The cases of osteoarthritis related to work are not at all exceptional. Overweight and obesity are also bad for the joints.
•Genetic heritage. The cause of osteoarthritis can also be in the genes: studies have shown that genetic predisposition can be responsible for joint wear.
• Incorrect posture. Many people have a congenital deformity in the joint. This can accelerate its degradation.
Another cause that may favor the onset of osteoarthritis is the lack of physical activity.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis
Some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis include a feeling of tightness and stiffness in the joint when standing up . It is also typical to feel severe pain when initiating a movement that gradually diminishes with the additional burden. Other symptoms of osteoarthritis are the sound of crunches during movement or muscle tension and inflammation around the joint. Thus, the common symptoms of osteoarthritis are:
Moderate pain
It appears and disappears when doing physical activities such as bending or walking. It is a persistent pain in the joints even when you are still or at the time of sleep.
Rigidity or numbness in the joints
It occurs when a long time in the same position or on the contrary, by excessive movements.
Also, many patients also have an increased sensitivity to moisture and cold.
It should be noted that the more the joint wear increases, the more intense the symptoms become. The pain becomes more frequent, even at rest, and the mobility of the affected joint is less and less.
Exercise to strengthen the joint
The German Society of Sports Medicine and Prevention recommends the practice of the following sports in order to reduce the effects of osteoarthritis: gymnastics, cycling, walking, swimming and water gymnastics.
Other measures to treat osteoarthritis
The treatments differ according to the severity of the symptoms . In general they consist in diminishing the pain and improving the movement of the affected joints. That is why there are treatments for mild osteoarthritis and for the stages that are more serious.
The plans to treat the disease from the medical point of view are based on the combination of medications, physical therapies to relieve pain and education to protect the joints .
What we can do to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis is to rest , control weight , perform moderate physical activity , use heat or cold in the area, swim or take warm baths .
In very advanced cases in which there is joint damage or functional limitations of the joints, surgery will be recommended.
Pharmacotherapy. While the articular cartilage is not too damaged, some medications may be prescribed. The purpose is to relieve pain and inflammation in order to improve the ability to move.
The most well-known medications for joint pain are non-steroidal antirheumatics (NSAR). The term "non-steroidal" means that they do not contain cortisone. However, NSARs can be used only briefly, and in as small a dose as possible, as they have quite a few side effects. Other medications that are commonly used are selective COX-2 inhibitors, which do not have as many side effects as NSARs.
- Physiotherapy to treat osteoarthritis. Physiotherapy exercises improve joint mobility and work at the same time reduce pain.
- The replacement of synovial fluid. This treatment is often used successfully in osteoarthritis of the knee, treatment in which hyaluronic acid is injected directly into the joint cavity.
- Surgery. Certain operations can be performed on outpatients, such as arthroscopy. Through this minimally invasive surgery, the joint can be cleaned and dried, reinforcing the cartilage. The last resort is the replacement of the joint, an option that should only be considered when other treatments have failed.
More information
Osteoarthritis is not a disease that appears overnight. joint wear and tear is a process that extends over the years . It can be a long time before someone really feels pain in the joints, which, unfortunately, causes that in many cases arthritis is not recognized until it is in a very advanced state. This is a serious impediment, because an early recognition and treatment would be really beneficial. Therefore, it is important to recognize the warning signs of osteoarthritis in time .
Initial stage of osteoarthritis
At the base of each case of osteoarthritis we found a defect in the cartilage layer. Although in the first instance it is limited to a small area, there is already a danger. Even with minimal damage to the cartilage, the joint undergoes profound changes . X-rays can detect these signals that indicate the onset of osteoarthritis. Little by little, the loose particles of cartilage reach the synovial fluid and damage the interior of the joint. This accelerates the development of osteoarthritis
Intermediate stage of osteoarthritis
Many patients are in this intermediate stage of osteoarthritis. The duration of this stage varies from person to person and depends mainly on the degree of load that the damaged joint supports. Because the cartilage is gradually reduced, the pressure on the underlying bone is increasing. The only way for the body to balance this is by distributing it better, which means that the surface of the joint becomes larger and bony prominences called osteophytes are created. These protuberances are visible from the outside of the joint. The changes cause immobilization of the joint and an increase in cartilage damage.
Advanced stage of osteoarthritis
The underlying bones become exposed as the cartilage wears out, leaving it unprotected and coming into direct contact with the opposite bone. The bones of the joint have changed: they are much more compact and hard, and therefore more recognizable in an X-ray. Once the joint cavity has completely disappeared, the affected joint becomes completely rigid , a situation that can only be treated by surgery.
Saving efforts causes more damage
When mere movement causes pain, an effort-saving attitude is automatically assumed involuntarily in order to attenuate the symptoms as much as possible. But this attempt to save the joint can end up inflicting even more damage, because by avoiding certain movements the muscular tension in the joint is crowded .