osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis




Family in the park

    What is it? Plus

What is it?
Important points about osteoarthritis

    Osteoarthritis is a disease that damages the slippery tissue that covers the ends of the bones of a joint. When this happens, the bones begin to rub against each other, causing pain and stiffness.
    Osteoarthritis occurs more often in older people. Sometimes, osteoarthritis occurs in some young people after they have had a joint injury.
    There is not a single test to diagnose osteoarthritis. Most doctors use several methods to diagnose the disease and eliminate the possibility of some other problem or problems.
    Treatments for osteoarthritis include medications, pain relief techniques without medications, complementary and alternative therapies, and surgery.
    There are some things that can help you live better with osteoarthritis.

An articulation with severe osteoarthritisA joint with severe osteoarthritis (representation)

Osteoarthritis is a disease that damages the slippery tissue that covers the ends of the bones of a joint. This slippery tissue is called cartilage. When this happens, the bones begin to rub against each other. This friction causes pain, swelling and loss of movement in the joint. Over time, the joint may lose its normal appearance.

Osteoarthritis can also cause bone spurs, or additional bone growths, to grow at the edges of the joint. Some pieces of bone or cartilage may break off and become trapped within the space in the joint, causing more pain and damage.

Unlike other forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis only affects the joints and not other internal organs. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis.