Category: Arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a chronic and degenerative disease characterized by progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage, synovium (smooth lining of joint), ligaments and subchondral bone (providing support for cartilage of articular surface).

It is the most common type of arthritis & associated with a breakdown of joint cartilage mainly due to mechanical stress on weight bearing joints.

In OA, the top layer of cartilage breaks down. As the cartilage deteriorates and tendons / ligaments stretch causes pain.

Eventually cartilage completely erodes and the opposing bone ends rubs with each other.

This leads to:

• Pain that may be intermittent or chronic
• Stiffness in the morning and after rest
• Loss or restricted mobility.
• It commonly occurs in the weight-bearing joints like hips, kness and spine.

In OA small pieces of bone and fragments of cartilage are found in synovial fluid

Symptoms of OA:        

• Joint pain
• Swollen joint
• Stiffness
• Loss of movement
• Muscle weakness
• Crepitation

Causes of OA:

• Overweight / Obesity
• Injury
• Genetic defect

Arthiritis

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is inflammation of the joint that can result in  pain, swelling of the region and limited movement. Arthritis is a general term that describes more than 100 diseases affecting the joints and connective tissues. It is avery common disease that have verying effects on individuals.

Forms of Arthritis

There are many forms of Arthritis but osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage deteriorates allowing the bones to rub against each other. Over time, the joint may lose its normal shape and bone spurs may grow on the edges of the joint. In Rheumatoid Arthritis, the synovial membrane becomes inflamed causing pain & swelling and may end to joint erosion.

What are the Symptoms?

If you have arthritis, you may experience the following – joint pain, swelling, stiffness, especially in the morning, warm felling/ redness of skin around joint and reduced ability to move join.

How is it diagnosed?

No single test can diagnose arthritis and it is established based on physical examination to check for tenderness, redness, warmth, stiffness, or fluid in a joint along with personal and family medical history.

What are the Common Causes & Risk Factors/

Common Causes: Injury to the joint, infection, general wear and tear due to aging and repetitive usage, and autoimmune diseases. Common Risk Factors are obesity that increase risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knees, and possibly in the hips and hands, and repetitive use of joint.

How to prevent/Manage Arthritis?

Prevention- Exercise for arthritis is necessary to maintain healthy joints, relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength.

Management- Splints are required to align joints and reduce pain and increase mobility and healing. Hot and Cold therapy helps manage pain. Sleep and rest helps recover from inflammations due to activity. You should also:

• Avoid positions or movements that place extra stress on your affecting joints.
• Avoid holding one position for too long
• Reduce stress, which can aggravate your symptoms.
• Try meditation,

Joint Pain

Joint pain can be caused by injury which is affecting muscle, ligaments, or tendons surrounding joint. Joint pain occurs in shoulder, knee, spine, cervical area etc.

Some of common causes of joint pain are

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Injury / fracture
• Strains & sprains (Sprain is a stretch and / or tear of a ligament & strain is an injury of a muscle and / or tendon)

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints, Autoimmune diseases are conditions that occur when the body’s tissues are mistakenly attacked by body’s own immune system.

The cause of RA is unknown but it is believed that the tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis may be genetically inherited. It is also suspected that certain infections or factors in the environment might trigger the activation of the immune system in susceptible individuals. This misdirected immune system then attacks the body’s own tissues.

Inflammatory process is characterized by accumulation of activated leukocytes in synovial area that attack articular cartilage leading to progressive destruction of cartilage.

Chronic inflammation can cause damage to body tissues, including cartilage and bone. This leads to a loss of cartilage and erosion and weakness of the bones as well as the muscles, resulting in joint deformity, destruction, and loss of function. Small joints of hands and feet, e.g. fingers may suffer from deformity depending on which joints are involved.

Rheumatoid arthritis & osteo arthritis