OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disorder of the articular cartilage. The surface layer of cartilage breaks and wears away in osteoarthritis. The breaks and wears of cartilage cause cartilage to rub together, causing pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint. Most of patients coming to our center are obese women with osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints like knee joints. Osteoarthritis can also affects joints such as hand joints, spine, and hip joints. Often joints might have cracking or grinding noise with joint movement.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disorder of the articular cartilage. The surface layer of cartilage breaks and wears away in osteoarthritis. The breaks and wears of cartilage cause cartilage to rub together, causing pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint. Most of patients coming to our center are obese women with osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints like knee joints. Osteoarthritis can also affects joints such as hand joints, spine, and hip joints. Often joints might have cracking or grinding noise with joint movement.

Who has Osteoarthritis?

Older people are more likely to have osteoarthritis. If there is osteoarthritis in younger people it may be due to joint injury and genetic defect in joint cartilage.
Osteoarthritis is more likely to occur in people who are overweight and in people who have to give more stress to their particular joints. OA affects people of all races including Asians and both males and female. It is frequently seen in patient’s age more than 40 years.

How Do Doctors Diagnose Osteoarthritis?

Your doctors may need to take careful history about your pain and doctors may also do physical examinations.
In some cases, your doctor might ask you to do imaging studies like X-rays and MRI which may be useful to tell the extent of disease or to help rule out other joint problems.

How is Osteoarthritis Treated?

Treatment Approaches to Osteoarthritis
Exercise: Consult physiotherapist for what type of exercise are beneficial for your osteoarthritis. Physiotherapist team is available at our center from 8 am to 4 pm.
Weight control: Weight control is cornerstone in every type of osteoarthritis. So consult dietician for your proper diet plans for weight reduction. Dietician is available at our center from 8:30 am to 3.30 pm.
Nondrug pain relief techniques and alternative therapies: Heat and cold, Therapy with massage therapist
Medications to control pain: NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or painkillers, Corticosteroids, Topical pain-relieving creams, rubs, and sprays, which can be applied over the skin of r painful joints.
Surgery: Surgery is necessary when the joint has serious damage, or when medical treatment fails to relieve pain and you have major loss of function. Surgeons may replace affected joints with artificial joints called prostheses. These joints can be made from metal alloys, high-density plastic and ceramic material. Artificial joints can last 10 to 15 years or longer.

Recommendations for the patients with Osteoarthritis
Only having medicine can’t treat your Osteoarthritis try your best to lose weight if you are overweight or obese, which can reduce pain and slow progression of OA.
Use adaptive devices that will help you do daily activities.
Exercise daily
Avoid frequent bending of affected joint.

What patients are frequently afraid of? “I can bear pain but I don’t want to take pain killers”

Remember your doctors will never give unnecessary pain killers. So doesn’t worry about side effects of medicines. Let your doctor monitor side effects of medications from time to time by regular follow up.

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