Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder affecting millions of people globally. As a result of this condition, one can experience joint inflammation and loss of joint cartilage. However, the symptoms are easy to manage by adopting some positive measures. Keep reading the article to know what those are, symptoms, causes, and treatment options.
Osteoarthritis is a common type of disease that usually develops as people age. The changes leading to osteoarthritis occur over many years, including a gradual loss of cartilage and overall breakdown. As a result of this degenerative joint disease, people experience specific signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis like inflammation, pain, swelling and other effects.
This disease can also lead your joint to lose its elasticity and turn stiff, thus becoming more prone to damage. In fact, after some time, even the cartilage wears away. Therefore, joints reduce their ability to absorb shock.
There are two types of osteoarthritis -
This degenerative joint disorder begins mainly in joints of hips, knees and hands. However, they can develop in your neck and lower back too. Some of the common symptoms of osteoarthritis are -
Remember, the symptoms may not show at earlier stages as these usually get severe with time. However, progression may also lead to total damage of the cartilage or bony growth from the joint edges.
There can be several reasons for people developing osteoarthritis. However, the most common causes of osteoarthritis are -
One can classify stages of osteoarthritis into four categories ranging from Stage 0 to Stage 3. Let's know them in brief -
Certain risk factors of osteoarthritis that increase a person's chance to develop a particular health condition are -
Usually, diagnosing osteoarthritis involves several sets of actions. Depending on what doctors notice through your medical history or symptoms, they recommend lab tests, imaging and other physical examinations.
When reviewing your medical history and running a physical test, the doctor looks for signs of osteoarthritis. For example, whether the patient's pain level is getting worse when performing an activity and gets better when taking rest or not. They also record if the patient's age is 45 or above. In addition, they focus on morning stiffness that lasts for 30 minutes or so, limited range of motion, and enlarged bony joints.
There are other processes as well that come under how osteoarthritis is diagnosed. These include -
Treatment for OA involves managing their multiple symptoms to provide relief to patients. This means that the best treatment for osteoarthritis will vary depending on the severity of symptoms and their location.
Doctors often treat stiffness, pain and swelling due to OA just by recommending some medications, home remedies or lifestyle changes. To understand the options, in brief, refer to the following sections -
Certain medications provide relief to OA patients. These are:
Getting enough sleep can do more good than medications sometimes. For example, it lowers inflammation and swelling in the portion when you rest your muscles properly.
Being overweight puts direct pressure on your joints, and if it continues, people start to experience unbearable pain. In this case, it will help if you shed some pounds. In fact, there are many benefits of maintaining an ideal weight, like preventing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Another treatment that doctors can recommend is heat and cold therapy. In this, you apply hot and cold compress alternately for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day.
Last but the most crucial treatment option for osteoarthritis is including a 20-30 minute physical exercise routine in your life. However, make sure to choose only simple and gentle exercises like swimming and walking. In this case, yoga and Tai Chi can also do the trick.
There is no cure for the disease, but the outlook for osteoarthritis treatment is favourable. If patients look after every suggestion made by their doctor regarding lifestyle changes and taking pain relief medications, they can easily manage OA.
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Disclaimer #2: This information is added only for informative purposes and collected from different sources across the Internet. Digit Insurance is not promoting or recommending anything here. Please verify the information before making any decisions.
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