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Osteoarthritis - All the Details
What Is Osteoarthritis?
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In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in joints has become damaged, disrupting the smooth gliding motion of the joint surfaces. The result is arthritis pain, swelling, and deformity.
The arthritis pain of osteoarthritis typically increases with joint use and improves at rest. For reasons that aren't clear, although x-rays can find evidence of arthritis, the level of arthritis pain and stiffness experienced by people does not match the extent of injury noticed on x-rays.Many theories exist about the causes of osteoarthritis, but we don't really know what causes the disease. Osteoarthritis is often described as "wear and tear" arthritis. However, evidence suggests that this simple explanation is not correct. For example, osteoarthritis frequently develops in many joints at the same time, often symmetrically on both sides of the body, even when there is no reason to believe that equal amounts of wear and tear are present. Another intriguing finding is that osteoarthritis of the knee is commonly (and mysteriously) associated with osteoarthritis of the hand. These factors, as well as others, have led to the suggestion that osteoarthritis may actually be a body-wide disease of the cartilage.
During one's lifetime, cartilage is constantly being turned over by a balance of forces that both break down and rebuild it. One prevailing theory suggests that osteoarthritis may represent a situation in which the degrading forces get out of hand. Some of the proposed natural treatments for osteoarthritis described later may inhibit enzymes that damage cartilage.
Who is Effected by Osteoarthritis and How Often
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common medical conditions, afflicting an estimated 24 million people in the United States. It is estimated that as many as half of all those who have osteoarthritis do not know that the arthritis pain and stiffness they are experiencing are symptoms of osteoarthritis. And while neither gender is immune, a reported 74 percent of Osteoarthritis cases(or just over 15 million) occur with women
People with excess weight tend to develop Osteoarthritis, especially in the knees when reaching over 45 years of age. However, losing weight can turn the odds around almost by half. Regular activity combined with exercise also reduces risk, strengthening joint muscles and reducing joint wear.
Cartilage Damage
When the cartilage damage in osteoarthritis begins, the body responds by building new cartilage. For several years, this compensating effort can keep the joint functioning well. Eventually, however, building forces cannot keep up with destructive ones, and what is called end-stage osteoarthritis develops. This is when the arthritis pain and impaired joint function of arthritis becomes evident.
Osteoarthritis What it is and How it progresses
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage begins to break down, usually gradually. As the cartilage wears away, the bones become exposed and rub against each other, which leads to arthritis pain and difficulty moving the joint. The deterioration of cartilage also affects the shape and makeup of the whole joint, so that it no longer functions smoothly. Osteoarthritis can range from mild to severe. Osteoarthritis also can affect nearby bones, which can become enlarged in places.
Other problems can occur inside the joint as cartilage breakdown affects the joint components. Fragments of bone or cartilage may float in the joint fluid, causing irritation and arthritis pain. Bony spurs or osteophytes can develop on the ends of the bones. The arthritis pain associated with osteoarthritis can be significant and it usually is made worse by movement. You may notice a limp when you walk, or you may have trouble going up and down stairs. This deterioration puts additional stress on the joint as it moves. Fluid inside the joint may not have enough of a substance called hyaluronan, which may affect the joint's ability to absorb shock. And although inflammation is not a main symptom of osteoarthritis, it can occur in the joint lining in response to the breakdown of cartilage. Osteoarthritis can be limited to one joint or start in one joint — usually the knee, hip, hands, feet or spine — or it can involve a number of joints.
Osteoarthritis by any other name - Degenerative Joint Disease
Although the term arthritis means joint inflammation, there is relatively little inflammation in the joints of most people with osteoarthritis. For this reason, many experts and health care professionals refer to call it degenerative joint disease because it seems to be caused by age-related wear and tear of the joints. A person with a history of joint damage, either an injury or chronic strain, runs a higher risk for developing Osteoarthritis. These trends are a couple of the reasons that there is conflicting views of the basis of Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis of the Hand
In the hand, osteoarthritis most often affects the small joints of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumb - the basal joint. Most often if Osteoarthritis is found in one hand it will develop in the other hand. If the hand is affected, usually many joints of the fingers become arthritic.
Some of the natural treatments described in the next articles on osteoarthritis appear to work by assisting the body in repairing cartilage.
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