What Osteoarthritis is

What Osteoarthritis is

Nov 27, 2022

Przemyslaw Tempczyk

That’s a serious, painful condition is the most common form of arthritis and can affect any joint.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that can affect many tissues of the entire joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments, synovial membrane

Osteoarthritis can degrade cartilage, change bone shape, and cause inflammation, resulting in pain, stiffness and loss of mobility, can affect any joint. The most common area:

  • Knees
  • Hips
  • Hands
  • Shoulders
  • Lower Back

Its signs and symptoms typically show up more often in individuals over age 50, but OA can affect much younger people, too, especially those who have had a prior joint injury, such as a torn ACL or meniscus. It usually develops slowly over time, but after such an injury, it can develop much more rapidly, within just a few years. OA is not an inevitable aging disease, some people never develop it.

 

Risk of factors

  • The risk of developing OA increases with age and symptoms generally, but not always, appear in people over 50.
  • Joint injury. A bone fracture or cartilage or ligament tear can lead to OA, sometimes more quickly than in cases where there is not an obvious injury.
  • Using the same joints over and over in a job or sport can result in OA.
  • Excess weight adds stress and pressure on a joint, plus fats cells promote inflammation.
  • Musculoskeletal abnormalities. Malalignment of bone or joint structures can contribute to faster development of OA.
  • Weak muscles. If muscles don’t provide adequate joint support, poor alignment can result, which can lead to OA.
  • People with family members who have OA are more likely to develop it.
  • Women are more likely to develop OA than men.

 

Symptoms

  • Pain or aching in a joint during activity, after long activity or at the end of the day.
  • Joint stiffness usually occurs first thing in the morning or after resting.
  • Limited range of motion that may go away after movement.
  • Clicking or popping sound when a joint bends.
  • Swelling around a joint.
  • Muscle weakness around the joint.
  • Joint instability

 

Like in many other conditions prevention should be the most important. By eliminate as much risk of factors as it possible is the key. Unfortunately, sometimes there is no possible to avoid that condition, but we can delay the degeneration process. One of the options is hyaluronic joint injection. The solution injected into the joint space, protects its from bone to bone rubbing. Issuficient amount the hyaluronic acid in the joint can cause the pain, stiffness, swelling and be the direct cause of the Osteoarthritis.