Osteoarthritis
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints.It can begin from teenage and gets worse as we grow older. Osteoarthritis is very common, before age 45; osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in males. After age 55 years, it occurs more frequently in females. Arthritis is the word used to describe inflammation of a joint. Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints.
Cartilage is a protein substance that acts as a "cushion" between the bones of the joints. With aging, the water content of the cartilage increases and the protein part of the cartilage reduces. Continuous use of the joints over the years irritates and inflames the cartilage, causing pain and swelling in the joints. With time, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny gaps. In advance stage, there is a total loss of the cartilage between the bones of the joints. Loss of cartilage causes friction between the bones, leading to pain and limitation of joint mobility.
The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint after repetitive use. The joints that are affected ache and you may feel or hear them crunching or cracking. Osteoarthritis of the knees is often occurs with obesity or injury to the keen, such patients can develop a limp. The limping can worsen as more cartilage degenerates.
Osteoarthritis of the spine causes pain in the neck or low back. Bony spurs form along the arthritic spine and can irritate spinal nerves, causing severe pain, numbness, and tingling of the affected parts of the body.
Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Symptoms of osteoarthritis can range from mild to severe.They may include:
- Pain: Your joints may ache, or the pain may feel burning or sharp. For some people, the pain may come and go. Constant pain or pain while you sleep may be a sign that your arthritis is getting worse.
- Deformed joints: Joints can start to look like they are the wrong shape, especially as arthritis gets worse.
- Reduced range of motion and loss of use of the joint: As your arthritis gets worse, you may not be able to fully bend, flex, or extend your joints. Or you may not be able to use them at all.
- Stiffness: When you have arthritis, getting up in the morning can be hard. Your joints may feel stiff and creaky for a short time, until you get moving. You may also get stiff from sitting.
- Muscle weakness: The muscles around the joint may get weaker. This happens a lot with arthritis in the knee.
- Swelling: Arthritis can cause swelling in joints, making them feel tender and sore.
- Cracking and creaking: Your joints may make crunching, creaking sounds. This creaking may also occur in a normal joint, but in most cases, it doesn't hurt and doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the joint.
