Osteoarthritis could lead to chondrolysis, which is a complete breakdown of the cartilage, leading to loose joint tissue material. Osteonecrosis, which is bone death, is another possible issue. Repeated stress or injury could cause stress fractures, which are hairline cracks in the bone near the affected joint.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition. If left untreated, it'll get worse with time. Although death from OA is rare, it's a significant cause of disability among adults. It's important to talk to your doctor if OA is impacting your quality of life.
Potential Consequences
Pain, reduced mobility, side effects from medications and other factors associated with osteoarthritis can lead to health complications that are not caused by the disease itself. Painful joints, especially in the feet, ankles, knees, hip or back, make it harder to exercise.
How quickly does OA progress? Experts confirm that once OA starts, it may take years to reach a severe stage. However, in extreme cases, OA progresses rapidly to complete the destruction of the cartilage within a few months.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain.
Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the hands, lower back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and feet. Osteoarthritis in any of these joints can lead to physical disability. Hands. Osteoarthritis of the hands seems to run in families.
Age. 43% of people with OA are 65 or older and 88% of people with OA are 45 or older. Annual incidence of knee OA is highest between 55 and 64 years old. More than half of individuals with symptomatic knee OA are younger than 65.
Possible complications of osteoarthritis include: Rapid, complete breakdown of cartilage resulting in loose tissue material in the joint (chondrolysis). Bone death (osteonecrosis). Stress fractures (hairline crack in the bone that develops gradually in response to repeated injury or stress).
Exercise is one of the most important treatments for people with osteoarthritis, whatever your age or level of fitness. Your physical activity should include a combination of exercises to strengthen your muscles and exercises to improve your general fitness.
The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and sometimes stiffness in the affected joints. The pain tends to be worse when you move the joint or at the end of the day. Your joints may feel stiff after rest, but this usually wears off fairly quickly once you get moving. Symptoms may vary for no obvious reason.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.
Arthritis in certain parts of the body can make it more difficult to walk. Here's how to deal with these changes in your gait and remain mobile. Having arthritis in your hips, knees, ankles, or feet can making walking harder — a side effect that can have consequences for your daily well-being and quality of life.
Severe Osteoarthritis and mobility
Sadly for some Osteoarthritis can lead to need to using a wheelchair. The pain while often manageable with drugs can combine with joint stiffness and loss of dexterity to require the use of a wheelchair to help alleviate the conditions.
You may need to avoid activities that put too much strain on the joints, such as running and sports that involve jumping, quick turns, or sudden stops — tennis and basketball, for example. Swimming and pool exercises have several advantages for people with osteoarthritis. Warm water is soothing to muscles and joints.
Bananas and Plantains are high in magnesium and potassium that can increase bone density. Magnesium may also alleviate arthritis symptoms.
People with osteoarthritis have also reported having fatigue.
It causes inflammation and may make people feel sick, tired and sometimes feverish, among other symptoms. Some younger people get osteoarthritis from a joint injury, but osteoarthritis most often occurs in people over 40.
The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in your joints, which can make it difficult to move the affected joints and do certain activities. The symptoms may come and go in episodes, which can be related to your activity levels and even the weather. In more severe cases, the symptoms can be continuous.
1) Acetaminophin: Several studies have shown acetaminophen to be superior to placebo and equivalent to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) for the short-term management of OA pain. At present, acetaminophen (up to 4,000 mg/daily) is the recommended initial analgesic of choice for symptomatic OA.
The Arthritis Foundation says exercise is “the most effective, non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement in patients with osteoarthritis.” The best types of exercise for osteoarthritis use slight resistance, improve flexibility, offer an aerobic element, and are low impact.