DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS (OSTEOARTHRITIS)
DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS (OSTEOARTHRITIS)
Osteoarthritis is disease in which larger joints of the body (knees, spine and hands) are affected. It occurs when the cartilage present at the ends of bone gets eroded with time. it is an irreversible disease, though it can be prevented from further progression by doing exercises and maintaining an active life style
Symptoms
Develop slowly with time.
- Pain on touching (tenderness)
- Stiff joints, usually after awakening
- Low range of motion of joints
- Severe pain during movement
- Sound of crackling while using joint
- Joint is swollen
- Affected joints have bony spurs
Causes
The main reason behind the disease is the gradual deterioration of the articular cartilage. Not only this but many changes occur at the ends of joint forming bones because of the wear and tear, inflammation and the degradation.
Diagnosis
Can be made through:
- Physically examining the joint; flexibility, appearance, edema
- X-Ray and MRI
- Labs tests which include blood tests and joint fluid analysis
Treatment
It is an irreversible disease but can be stopped from progression. Some medications that are to be taken are as follows:
- NSAIDs : naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) and Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta).
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Besides the medications, therapies are also done to improve the condition
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
Some other procedures and surgical interventions are also done which include Hyaluronic acid injections, corticosteroid injections, osteotomy/ realigning of bones, joint replacement therapies etc.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Changes in life style helps a lot in improving the condition.
- Reduce weight
- Increase exercise
- Yoga and stretching
Some other things to lessen the pain are:
- Topical application of capsaicin, extract of chili pepper.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS) to relieve pain.
- Shoe inserts or braces that help in walk.
- Cold or hot compression