Arthritis is a common condition among adults, especially those entering middle age.
Amazingly, there are over 100 types of arthritis, though the most commonly diagnosed is osteoarthritis. The CDC estimates that more than 32.5 million Americans have osteoarthritis, or more than half(!) of all the estimated cases of arthritis in the United States.
Osteoarthritis (OA) can occur in any of the 360 joints in your body. The lower back, neck, hips, feet, hands, and fingers are particularly prone to developing osteoarthritis. However, the most common site for osteoarthritis is the knee.
The knee joint connects the femur and tibia, two of the largest bones in your body, and over the many years of moving around in life, it can lose impact protection and begin to cause you pain.
What Is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is classified as a degenerative joint disease. This condition is typically brought on by years of wear and tear. It can also be caused by severe joint injury.
To understand the mechanics of osteoarthritis, it’s important to understand how your joints work. You see, each joint in your body is composed of various tissues including bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments, fats, and synovium. These tissues work together with cartilage (a rubbery and flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones) to help your body to move.
Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage wears away between and around the bones that meet in your joint.
This can cause slight and unintended shifting in the joint, and even bone-on-bone contact, one of the more painful forms of osteoarthritis. Joint tissues also become inflamed, contributing to your pain.
When the bones inside of the joint grind together, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Pain or aching sensation
- Stiffness or a loss of flexibility
- Joint instability or buckling
- Bone spurs
- Swelling
- Muscle weakness around the joint
- Inflammation
- Tenderness
- Grating, cracking, clicking, or popping sounds
What Are the Risk Factors for Osteoarthritis?
Anyone is at risk for developing osteoarthritis, but several factors that can increase your odds. While some of these factors are within your control, many are not.
If you want to avoid developing arthritis or if you simply want to manage your symptoms, it's important to understand the triggers of osteoarthritis.
The following factors can influence your risk of developing osteoarthritis. They may also affect the severity of your osteoarthritis.
- Obesity. Carrying around extra weight can place intense strain on your load-bearing joints. In fact, each additional pound of weight causes about three to five more pounds of added pressure on your joints, and losing weight can improve arthritis symptoms.
- Age. The risks of developing osteoarthritis increase with age as the joint continues to experience wear and tear. Symptoms can appear at any age but start to become especially noticeable in people over the age of 50.
- Injury. Serious joint injuries such as bone breaks, cartilage fractures, or ligament tears don’t always heal properly. For that reason, significant injuries can increase your chances of suffering from osteoarthritis later in life..
- Overuse. Even if you don’t injure your joint, the accumulated effects of frequent use can build up over time. Osteoarthritis is often the result of repetitive movements. This makes it common in people who do heavy physical labor or play a sport.
- Gender. Women are more likely than men to develop arthritis and other bone-related disorders. These conditions are especially common in women who have been through menopause.
- Medical conditions. Diabetes, circulatory issues, and hormone disorders can increase inflammation in your body and contribute to joint damage.
- Weak muscles. The muscles surrounding your joint help to stabilize it and alleviate some of the pressure. Having weak muscles can cause your joint to become misaligned, contributing to poor posture and increased cartilage damage.
- Ethnic background. African Americans and Asian Americans appear to be at a higher risk than Caucasians for developing osteoarthritis in their knees.
- Genetics. There are some genetic traits passed down through your family that can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. The odds of developing osteoarthritis are much higher if you have parents or siblings that have the condition.
How Is Osteoarthritis Diagnosed?
If you think you may have osteoarthritis, you should schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist or primary care physician who can diagnose it officially. Remember, the effects of osteoarthritis often worsen over time, especially if you let them persist without treatment. What might start off as an occasional dull ache can gradually become a persistent pain.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, the medical professional that you visit will likely conduct a physical examination, review your symptoms, and ask you questions about your health history, lifestyle, and previous injuries.
In some cases, they may recommend one or more of the following tests:
- Joint aspiration. A needle is inserted into the affected joint and fluid is withdrawn. The fluid is tested for infection or crystallization and can be used to rule out other potential conditions.
- X-ray. Taking an x-ray of your joint will show any potential bone damage that might have been caused by osteoarthritis.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI will give a more detailed view of the tissues in your joint than an x-ray. It can be especially helpful in determining the extent of cartilage damage.
What Are the Treatments for Osteoarthritis?
There is no cure for osteoarthritis and the damage that it causes is permanent. That’s why it’s so important to mitigate your risk factors and avoid OA as best as you can.
Unfortunately, osteoarthritis can be impossible to prevent for some people, even those with a highly focused prevention plan. If you get diagnosed with osteoarthritis, these are a few of the treatment options that can help you manage the symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening:
Medications
A wide variety of medications and treatments can help reduce the severity of your symptoms. These treatments are available as pills, creams, injections, patches, syrups, and gels. A lot of them are available over-the-counter, but you might need to use a prescription treatment if your symptoms are severe, or store-bought treatments aren’t providing enough relief.
These are the few common medications used to treat osteoarthritis:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, and ketoprofen can help reduce the inflammation in your joints and reduce pain.
- Counterirritants such as menthol, lidocaine, or capsaicin disrupt nerve endings in your joints and helps block pain receptors from sending signals to your brain.
- Corticosteroids such as cortisone, prednisone, and triamcinolone acetonide can help reduce the inflammation and swelling in your joint.
- Analgesics such as acetaminophen or opioids can help alleviate your pain, but won’t help with swelling.
- Antidepressants such as duloxetine can also be effective at treating the symptoms of musculoskeletal pain.
- Anti-seizure medication such as pregabalin can help to lower the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Exercise
Increasing the movement of your joints might sound counterintuitive, but it’s essential for managing your symptoms and preventing your condition from worsening. .
Ideally, you’ll want to create a workout routine that includes the following types of exercise:
- Strengthening exercises can build up the muscle around your joint and help to alleviate some of the stress that it encounters.
- Stretching exercise can help keep your joints loose and prevent them from becoming stiff.
- Cardio exercises can help improve your stamina and increase your energy levels.
Weight Loss
Being overweight puts added strain on your joints, which can be extra damaging to your cartilage. In addition, fat and metabolic issues increase inflammation systemically, which can further damage your cartilage and joints. Shedding the extra weight can help reduce these factors and provide a few other health benefits as well.
Surgery
If the damage to your joint is severe, your doctor may recommend surgery. Here are some of the most common surgeries for patients who are suffering from severe osteoarthritis:
- Joint repair surgery uses a small incision to rearrange damaged or misaligned tissues to help reduce your symptoms.
- Joint fusion surgery uses rods, bars, or screws to help fuse together two bones, bypassing the need for the joint.
- Joint replacement surgery removes your damaged joint and replaces it with an artificial one made of plastic and metal. Think hip and knee replacements.
How Rex MD Can Help
Osteoarthritis is a common condition among older adults, though it can affect people of all ages. There isn’t a cure for this condition, but there are options for managing your symptoms and preventing further damage to your joints. Many patients can find relief by making lifestyle changes and using prescription or over-the-counter medications.
It’s never too early to take action to prevent osteoarthritis and get a handle on your symptoms. Making changes to your diet and exercising are two ways our can lower the odds of developing severe osteoarthritis later in life. Oral and topical treatments can help reduce pain and other symptoms.
