Do you constantly suffer from severe pain in your joints? You may suffer from degenerative osteoarthritis if you regularly have to stop your daily activities due to pain in the hands, hips, knees or lower back. This is a chronic disease that if not treated in time becomes difficult to carry. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about osteoarthritis.
What is osteoarthritis?
This disease is also known as osteoarthrosis, it is a type of arthritis that directly attacks the “cartilage” tissue that covers the ends of the bones, so that it ends with that cushioning it needs so that friction does not occur. That is why this disorder is accompanied by intense pain that often makes us stop any activity we are carrying out.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), osteoarthritis is one of the most common ailments manifested by most patients from the age of 60. Of course, this does not mean that it does not appear in people of different ages who have other pathologies, but it is more common in older patients.
It is extremely important to clarify that osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are not the same, well, many times this doubt arises in many patients. Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the joints, it can also reach organs, while osteoarthritis as we mentioned goes directly to the joints.
What are the causes of osteoarthritis?
Each patient has a different medical history, many may share similarities, but you can never start from a diagnosis comparing patients. For this reason, it is important to know what are the main causes that could have caused this disease. The truth is, there are some risk factors that can put the health of your joints in the spotlight.
Genetics: Although it has been ruled out that osteoarthritis can be inherited in the family as the color of the eyes, it can be associated with other genetic causes that would lead to developing it. Obesity is usually the most common.
Joint injuries: We may never take it into account, but both sports and work injuries can greatly affect our joints, either by overloading them when repeating certain tasks such as typing, or by an untreated trauma while running. All this can trigger osteoarthritis.
Obesity: Being overweight is perhaps one of the most common causes that some patients with osteoarthritis have, it is not for less, having obesity greatly damages the joints, especially the knees for all the weight they must carry.
Age: As I mentioned at the beginning, age is perhaps one of the most relevant causes of osteoarthritis, since most individuals who suffer from it are approximately over 60 years old.
Sex: Women suffer the most from the disease, although we do not yet know the origin of this. Menopause may have a lot to do with this, since, with the decrease in estrogen, the joints also have a wear and tear.
Congenital malformations: Patients with congenital malformations are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis.
Symptoms
Osteoarthritis is a disease that gradually gains ground from the moment in which the patient begins to suffer from it. That is why the symptoms develop to a lesser or greater degree depending on how advanced the condition is.
The most important symptoms to take into account with osteoarthritis are those that cause discomfort in our daily tasks, either joint pain that can bother us to the point of not being able to write well with our hands or move them, also, stiffness is a continuous discomfort when suffering from osteoarthritis.
In general, the symptoms of osteoarthritis can start from simple crackling, to go through muscle atrophy, something that should certainly be treated urgently by a specialist.
Another important point to mention is that, although the patient affirms that the discomfort is not constant or a thing of every day, this does not mean that the osteoarthritis has completely ceased. It is recommended to do a physical exam and x-rays to find out how advanced the disorder is.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
Undoubtedly, what is sought with the treatment of osteoarthritis is to improve the patient’s life, the constant pain, stiffness, are the objective.
A plan should be established that focuses on the type of osteoarthritis that the patient presents, either knee osteoarthritis, hand osteoarthritis, hip, cervical or lumbar, all these conditions today have a treatment that can reduce their ailment.
The pharmacological treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis includes analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs of rapid action to stop the pain that afflicts us so much. Paracetamol is one of the great allies if the pain is not very serious, when the discomfort is greater your specialist may include opioids to help you.
Not all the drugs we use for the treatment of osteoarthritis are fast-acting, since you can resort to those of slow action that seek to stop the evolution of the disease.
There are also other measures that are recommended to patients with osteoarthritis to improve their quality of life. These are mainly those that in one way or another will make a change in the stress to which your joints are subjected.
Important! People suffering from osteoarthritis should totally change their lifestyle for a healthier one, especially if they suffer from obesity or diabetes. Physical activity and a balanced diet can make a difference.
To treat discomfort also serves the application of local heat in the affected area for a few minutes. On the other hand, your treating doctor will tell you if you can use splints or insoles to maintain the rest of the joint.
