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ABCMD definition of Osteoarthritis: When you lose the cushioning (called cartilage) that normally pads your joints (knees, hips, shoulders, etc).

What is Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of 2 diseases that people often refer to when they say they have “Arthritis.” The other is called Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is important for you to understand which type you have as treatments can be quite different. Please talk to your doctor if you are not sure which type of Arthritis you have. To read about
Rheumatoid Arthritis click here now.

Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects millions of Americans and is a major cause of pain and disability in our society. It is now estimated that over 21 million Americans suffer from this disease. In a normal joint (elbows, knees, hips, fingers, etc) you have something called cartilage that covers the surfaces of the bones where they come into contact with each other at the joint. Normally cartilage acts as a shock absorber at the joint and allows some cushioning for when you put weight on your joints with activity. This prevents the bones from coming into contact and keeps you pain free and active. In Osteoarthritis, this cartilage begins to break down.

What causes Osteoarthritis
This loss of cartilage lining your bones is a very gradual process and often takes years and years to progress to a point where pain, loss of range of motion, limited activity, loss of function, etc become an issue. The exact reason of this break down of your cartilage is unknown at this time, however it is strongly believed that the cartilage is lost from “gradual wear and tear.” A good example is to think about wearing the same pair of shoes for your entire life. Eventually the rubber soles (like your cartilage) on the bottom of your shoe will begin to break down and eventually your feet will come into contact with the ground. This wear and tear idea is supported by 2 key facts. The first is that most patients with this disease are older individuals and have had a greater amount of time to wear down their joints. The second is that being overweight also increases your risk of developing Osteoarthritis. Overweight individuals place more weight on their joints with
activity and likely break down their cartilage faster then others who weigh less.

The problem with wearing down your cartilage is that is does not have a big ability to repair itself. Gradually you break down your cartilage faster then your body can replace it.

What are some things people with Osteoarthritis experience?
1. Pain, especially with and after activity (at the joint/s)
2. Swelling (at the joint/s)
3. Loss of range of motion (example- you can't bend your knees like you used to).
4. Deformity, or in other words, your joints can actually begin to change shape when your osteoarthritis is severe. This is most obvious when seen at the knees as people can either become bow-legged or knock kneed.
5. Loss of function. People suffering from Osteoarthritis often lose the ability to enjoy the activities they use to, such as walking, running, biking, bowling, basketball, etc."

How is Osteoarthritis diagnosed?
Your doctor will have to take an x-ray of your joint that is causing you trouble. An x-ray is basically a picture that allows your doctor to see your bones and the spaces between them. Normally you have a nice black space between the bones in your joints. This black space is where the cartilage is. In this disease as the cartilage breaks down, that black space is much smaller then it should be and in severe cases can be nearly gone altogether signaling bone on bone contact. Other things your doctor may see on x-rays are called osteophytes. This is a big, fancy word for bone spurs or abnormally thick pieces of bone near the joints. Bone spurs, or osteophytes, grow because the bones have to take on more of the weight as the cartilage is lost and they lose some of that cushioning. The bone responds by trying to grow more of itself to handle the weight. Sometimes the signal to grow is so great that some pieces grow too big and form bone spurs.

How is Osteoarthritis treated?
The first recommendations that your doctor will make are likely to be weight reduction (if needed) and pain management. What your doctor prescribes for pain management is up to them, however many start with medications such as Ibuprofen (if you have no history of ulcers, intestinal bleeding, etc) or Tylenol. Talk with your doctor before starting any medications, both prescription or over the counter, for managing pain. Other options for pain control include injections in the joint, physical therapy, changing activities of choice, etc. An endpoint of treatment options is replacing the joint with a total joint replacement. Talk with your doctor about the best way to begin treating your joint pain.

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