arthritis pain

Understanding the pain
Explain osteoarthritis



Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of musculoskeletal pain. Find out more about its causes and how to alleviate it.
What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis affects millions of people worldwide. The way osteoarthritis can affect your daily life can vary. For some, it causes only mild symptoms (such as pain and stiffness) that come and go, while others can cause constant and severe problems. All joints can be affected but it is more common at the knees and hands.
What are the causes of osteoarthritis?

In healthy joints, cartilage covers the ends of the bones that meet. This rubbery material allows the joint to move fluidly and escape from the cushion, or shock absorber, between the bones. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage is damaged or worn, causing pain and stiffness of the joint.

In fact, osteoarthritis is a degenerative "wear" disease. However, this does not mean that it only affects older people. Although it is true that osteoarthritis is more common after age 65, it can occur at any age and often occurs around 45 years or so.
Explain osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis progressively worsens over time. If osteoarthritis begins to worsen, the bones may begin to develop formations called spurs or break, and fragments of bone and cartilage may come loose and fluctuate into the joint. In the final stages of osteoarthritis, as the cartilage in the joints is worn, the connected bones begin to rub against each other, resulting in bone damage and increased pain. Finally, the movements of the affected joint can become very difficult and painful.
What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of osteoarthritis vary, depending on the joints involved and the severity of the onset. Some of the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

    Stiffness of the joints, soreness and pain
    Perception of snaps and chafing when the joint moves
    Decreased function and limited ability to move the joint
    Weakness and muscle loss around the affected joint
    Bone spurs
    Bigger and "gnarled" joints than usual

If you suffer from osteoarthritis in your knee joints, you may feel that you are about to "give up" or you will have difficulty straightening your legs. Osteoarthritis is likely to affect both knees unless it is a consequence of a previous lesion or pathology affecting only one knee.

If you suffer from osteoarthritis in your hands, you could develop bone spurs in the final part of the joints. This can make the joints of your fingers stiff, sore and sometimes deformed, and then perform tasks such as writing on the computer or playing the piano can cause pain. Osteoarthritis usually affects the base of the thumb and the joints of the fingers.
Who is at risk?

There are several factors that increase the chances of developing osteoarthritis, including:

    Obesity - being overweight increases the load on joints such as the knees, and this can lead to more rapid wear of the joint. This is why the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis is four times greater for overweight women than non-obese women, while for overweight men the risk is five times greater. However, obesity can contribute to increasing the risk of other types of osteoarthritis.


Gender - women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis than men, especially after age 50.
    Age - the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with aging.
    Injuries to the joints - if you suffer an injury to the joints in an accident or while doing sports, you are more likely to develop osteoarthritis in that joint, even if the injury occurred years ago.
    Work - if your work involves repeated stresses on a particular joint, for example if you have to use your hands all day to write on a computer or to cut your hair, you are more likely to develop osteoarthritis due to the excessive use of that 'articulation.
    Genetic heritage - some people inherit the tendency to develop osteoarthritis.
    Congenital changes - if you are born with malformed or cartilage joints, you are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.

Diagnose and manage osteoarthritis

Your doctor can diagnose osteoarthritis after examining the joint or joints involved. You may also recommend diagnostic tests for images, laboratory tests, or refer you to a specialist for further treatment.

Since there is no cure for osteoarthritis, the following measures are important and are the main objectives in the management of osteoarthritis:

    Improve the functionality of the joint
    Maintain a healthy body weight
    Check the pain
    Adopt a healthy lifestyle