Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It causes pain, swelling and reduced motion in your joints. It can occur in any joint, but usually it affects your hands, knees, hips or spine.

Osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint. Factors that may cause osteoarthritis include

Being overweight
Getting older
Injuring a joint

Therapies that manage osteoarthritis pain and improve function include exercise, weight control, rest, pain relief, alternative therapies and surgery.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Osteoarthritis on Wikipedia

'''Osteoarthritis''' (OA), also known as '''arthrosis''' or '''degenerative joint disease''', is a disease featuring pain and impaired function of the joints. It is the most common form of arthritis. While inflammation contributes to the disease process, the main cause is "wear and tear" to the synovium (joint lining). Treatment is with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), local injections with glucocorticoids and with joint replacement surgery. There is no cure for osteoarthritis.

Signs and symptoms

The main symptoms are ''pain'' and ''restricted movement''. The pain is chronic pain or gives varying amounts of discomfort when standing and walking. Pain is generally described as aching, sharp, or a burning sensation in the associated muscles and tendons, and includes loss of mobility and often stiffness. Humid weather increases the pain in many patients. Patients can experience muscle spasm and contractions in the tendons. Osteoarthritis can cause a crackling noise (called crepitus) when moved or palpated. Occasionally, affected joints may fill with fluid. Some develop Heberden's nodes in the fingers when these are affected.

Diagnosis

The joints mainly affected by osteoarthritis are the hip joints and the knee joints, although in theory any joint in the body can be affected. Osteoarthritis can affect the fingers, the spine, and the shoulder. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the ''history'', physical examination (restricted movement, crepitations) and X-rays of the joints. Occasionally, Magnetic resonance imaging (magnetic resonance imaging) may be required to examine the extent of the damage, especially in the spine. Imaging techniques can reveal damaged cartilage, loss of joint space, or bone spurs indicating the presence of osteoarthritis.

Pathophysiology

The crucial factor in the development of osteoarthritis is the disappearance of synovium and later all cartilage ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

Net-Medical - Seller of beta glucan and glucosamine natural treatment of osteoarthritis, athersclerosis, and to boost the immune system.

Vitamin Circle - Offers glucosamine chondroitin for the treatment of joint pain and swelling associated with osteoarthritis.

JointRenew - Anti-inflamatory medication containing glucosamine sulfate and collagen, for treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

NeuColl, Inc. - NeuColl, Inc. produces collagen-based osteobiologic devices for the orthopaedic musculoskeletal market. It manufactures Collagraft Bone Graft Substitute and is developing NeuVisc, a single-injection osteoarthritis treatment.

Generation II USA - Custom and off-the-shelf knee braces for patients suffering from Osteoarthritis (OA), ACL, PCL and MCL deficient knees.

Arthritis Chat Room and Message Boards - Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis chat room and message boards. Find out what treatments have worked for others and post messages.

Arthritis - Information from InteliHealth including osteoarthritis, pain, alternative therapies, basic diagnostic information, treatment options and news.

MedicineNet: Focus on Arthritis - Medical information about all forms of arthritis including rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, reactive arthritis and discussions on fibromyalgia.

Osteoarthritis - Easy to understand information from a UK general practitioner.