Osteoarthritis – Symptoms and Causes
Overview
Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis worldwide, happens when joint cartilage wears away gradually. This condition typically affects the joints in the hands, knees, hips, and spine.
While joint damage from osteoarthritis cannot be reversed, several approaches can help manage symptoms and possibly slow disease progression.
These include:
- Physical therapy programs designed to strengthen muscles around affected joints.
- Medications such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroid injections.
- Assistive devices like braces, walking aids, and special footwear.
- Surgical options, including joint replacement, when conservative treatments aren’t effective.
Staying physically active and maintaining healthy weight are key strategies that can significantly improve pain levels and joint function for many people with osteoarthritis.
Signs and Warning Signals
Spine Bony Growths
Spine bony growths happen when the body forms extra bone around joints in the spine. These growths feel like hard lumps.
They develop when the disks between spine bones narrow over time. People with these growths may feel pain when moving, stiffness in the morning, or less flexibility in their back. Some might hear crackling sounds during movement.
Hip Joint Damage
Hip joint damage causes several noticeable problems. The affected hip often hurts during walking or other movements. Many people feel stiff after sitting for a while or when waking up in the morning. The joint might feel tender when touched.
People with hip damage typically lose some movement range in the joint. They might find it hard to put on socks or shoes. Some experience a grating feeling when moving the hip, sometimes with popping sounds.
Common warning signs include:
- Pain during or after movement
- Morning stiffness or stiffness after rest
- Tenderness around the joint
- Limited movement range
- Grating or popping sounds
- Hard lumps around the joint (bony growths)
- Swelling caused by inflammation
These signs usually start slowly and get worse over time if not treated.
When to See a Doctor
If joint pain or stiffness continues without improvement, it’s important to contact your healthcare provider.
Don’t wait if symptoms persist over time. Your doctor can help find the cause and suggest treatment options.
Causes
Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage in joints breaks down over time. This cartilage is a smooth, slick tissue that allows bones to move against each other without friction.
As the condition progresses, cartilage can wear away completely, leading to bone-on-bone contact. However, osteoarthritis is more than just cartilage damage. It affects the entire joint structure:
- Bone changes: The bones themselves undergo alterations.
- Connective tissue deterioration: The tissues holding the joint together weaken.
- Muscle attachments: The connections between muscles and bones become damaged.
- Joint lining inflammation: Swelling occurs in the tissues surrounding the joint.
Rather than simply being a “wear and tear” disease, osteoarthritis involves multiple changes throughout the joint structure.
Risk Factors
Several factors can raise your chance of developing osteoarthritis:
- Age: The risk increases as you get older.
- Gender: Women face higher odds of developing this condition, though researchers aren’t exactly sure why.
- Weight issues: Extra weight puts more stress on joints like hips and knees. Fat cells also release proteins that can cause inflammation around joints.
- Past injuries: Joint injuries from sports or accidents can boost risk, even if they happened years ago and seemed to heal completely.
- Repetitive joint use: Jobs or activities that put repeated stress on specific joints may lead to osteoarthritis over time.
- Family history: Some people inherit genes that make them more likely to develop this condition.
- Joint structure problems: Being born with malformed joints or cartilage defects increases the risk.
- Metabolic conditions: Diseases like diabetes or hemochromatosis (too much iron in the body) are linked to a higher risk.
Problems You May Face
Osteoarthritis gets worse as time passes, leading to ongoing pain that doesn’t go away.
The joint pain and stiffness can become so bad that simple daily activities become hard to do.
People with osteoarthritis often deal with more than just physical pain. The constant discomfort and loss of function can cause depression.
Many also have trouble sleeping well because of their pain.
