Degenerative Arthritis (Osteoarthritis) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

Degenerative Arthritis (Osteoarthritis) is a degenerative medical disorder of the joints in the human body.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder.
It is mainly due to aging and wear and tear on a joint.
The cartilage lining of the joint is worn down such that the underlying bone comes into contact with each other.
Also bone spurs may form and the joint fluid is reduced.
This produces mechanical and chemical reactions giving rise to the symptoms of Osteoarthritis such as pain and dysfunction.
Genetics has been found to have role in the predisposition of Osteoarthritis
Aging is a risk factor of Osteoarthritis.
Being overweight increases the risk of OA in the hip, knee, ankle, and foot joints.
Excessive physical activity is a potentially correctable cause of Osteoarthritis.
Trauma or injury is a common cause of Osteoarthritis in the younger age groups due to sports and work injuries.
Jobs that involve kneeling, or squatting, for more than an hour a day or that affect climbing stairs, lifting, or walking increase the risk of OA.
Diagnosis is based on:
1. Joint movement that causes a crackling (grating) sound, called crepitation
2. Joint swelling (bones around the joints may feel larger than normal)
3. Limited range of motion
The diagnostic features that can be seen on X-ray are:
a. Loss of the joint space
b. Wearing down of the ends of the bone
c. Bone spurs (osteophytes)
Physical treatment can help increase the muscle strength and the mobility of stiff joints as well as the balance.
If treatment does not make the patient feel better after 6 to 8 weeks, then it likely will not work at all.
Braces and splints may assist in supporting weakened joints.
Symptom modifying drugs help to relieve the symptoms such as NSAIDs.
Intra-articular corticosteroid injections should be regarded as an addition to core treatments for the relief of moderate-to-severe pain in people with OA.
1. Joint aspiration is a method where the excess fluid from the swollen joint is aspirated or removed, helping to reduce the tension and bring relief for a while.
2. Vasosupplementation is a method whereby a lubricant is injected into the affected joint to reduce the frictional wear of the joint surfaces.
Severe patients of OA might require surgery to replace or repair injured joints.
Total or partial replacement of the permanently injured joint with an artificial joint (knee replacement, hip replacement etc) is a method to replace the diseased part of the joint permitting painless good range of movement.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Degenerative Arthritis (Osteoarthritis)
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Rheumatoid Arthritis
Chapter 8 Gouty Arthritis
Epilogue

Osteoarthritis is one of the commonest joint diseases in old age.
Generally women are affected more than men.
One of my first patients was an old lady who shared her provision shop with a Chinese medicine shop.
She had pain in both knees for some time now but Western and Chinese medicine and treatment could not help her.
I was able to give intra-articular injections into her knees which relieved her pain for several years.
Because of this she and the proprietor of the Chinese medicine shop would recommend customers to see me when the Chinese medicines did not help to relieve the pain.
It was through them that I develop a reputation for treating joint pains.
I always tell my patients that there was no ‘cure’ but temporary relief.