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| Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis causes your joints to become stiff and painful. You are more likely to get it if you are over 40, although it can occur if you are younger. Women are more at risk than men. However, you can take measures to relieve the symptoms. What is osteoarthritis? Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. You can think of osteoarthritis as a "wear and tear" disease. It usually affects your knees or hips, but can occur in your hands, feet and spine. It causes the cartilage on the end of your bones to get rougher and thinner. The bone beneath compensates by thickening and growing outwards, creating outgrowths (osteophytes). These make your knees look knobbly. The capsule around the joint also thickens and becomes inflamed. Illustration showing a healthy joint and a joint with osteoarthritis Symptoms If you have osteoarthritis, your joints will be stiff and painful, and may be swollen. The pain may be worse after you have been exercising. You may find you can't move the joint as much or as easily as before. It may make creaking sounds called crepitations. As osteoarthritis progresses, your joints may become misshapen and look knobbly, and they may be unstable. You will probably notice times when your symptoms are worse than at others. There doesn't seem to be any particular cause for this, although you may find you are affected by changes in the weather or the amount of activity you do. Sometimes pain and stiffness can be more severe in the early stages, especially in women who develop osteoarthritis around the time of menopause. It then tends to settle down over the next few years. If you have severe or advanced osteoarthritis, it's possible that you will feel pain all the time, even at night and when you are resting. Causes The exact reasons why you may develop osteoarthritis aren't fully understood at present. However, certain things can make you more likely to get it. Although it can occur in young people, the disease mostly develops in those over the age of 40. Women are more at risk than men. If you are overweight or obese you are more at risk, as there is greater strain on your joints. Some types run in families. A very active lifestyle, such as playing sports professionally, can increase your risk. If you have had an injury or surgery on a joint, you are more likely to have problems later on. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you may develop secondary osteoarthritis in joints where you previously had rheumatoid inflammation. Treatment Osteoarthritis affects everyone differently, but it's likely that you will be able to carry on with life as usual. However, it's important to cut down the strain you put on your joints. Our health professionals will educate you and stress the importance of keeping active and exercising regularly. Muscles must be sufficiently strong so they can support your joints. Exercises can be tailored for your specific case. Patients may suffer side-effects as a result of medication, and one of our complementary therapies such as acupuncture and/or reflexology will be helpful in relieving pain. Complementary therapies can make you feel more relaxed, thus helping you to manage your osteoarthritis in everyday life with less or no use of medication. |
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