Osteoarthritis

Arthritis Exercise Part 3

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Osteoarthritis (OA), which is also known as degenerative arthritis and degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis. OA is the "wear and tear" form of arthritis that affects almost twenty one million people in the U.S and, according to the University of Washington, probably affects almost every person over age 60 to some degree. It is a chronic condition which develops over time and accounts for a quarter of the visits to primary care physicians.

The word osteoarthritis comes from the Greek word "osteo", which means "of the bone", "arthro", which means "joint", and "itis", which means inflammation.

Osteoarthritis develops when changes in the cartilage changes how the joints work. Cartilage is a soft tissue that covers the ends of bones in normal joints. The function of cartilage is to reduce friction in the joints and serve as a "shock absorber." The cartilage becomes pitted, rough and brittle. The underlying bone thickens and broadens to reduce the load on the cartilage. This results in inflammation which causes pain in the joint. As the cartilage continues to deteriorate the tendons and ligaments stretch causing additional pain and changes the shape of the joint. Additionally, fragments of bone and cartilage can break off and float in the joint fluid causing irritation and pain, and bony spurs can develop near the ends of the bones.In advanced cases the bones could rub against each other.

OA can occur in almost any joint in the body but most commonly occurs in the weight bearing joints of the hips, knees and spine but can also affect the fingers, thumb, neck, and large toe. It usually does not affect other joints unless previous injury or excessive stress is involved. Women are more likely than men develop osteoarthritis, and in particular, osteoarthritis of the hand and knee. Men are slightly more likely, however, to develop osteoarthritis of the hip.

There are several myths regarding osteoarthritis:

Myth: Cold weather makes OA worse.
Fact: Painful joints can be more sensitive to cold weather but there have been no studies linking long term climatic effects on OA.

Myth: OA is just a part of growing older.

Fact: The significant portion of people with OA are older but it can affect younger people also.

Myth: Osteoarthritis is the same as osteoporosis
Fact: Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone density, whereas osteoarthritis has increased bone density and bony growth.

For current Arthitis news and research check our Arthritis Blog Posts.

Almost Half of Adults Will Develop Knee Osteoarthritis by 85 - Washington Post

FRIDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of all American adults will develop osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, and their odds increase if they are obese in middle age, a new study says. A person's risk of having the painful condition ... ...

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