Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is also known as osteoarthrosis. Osteoarthritis comes about when the cartilage in the joints of an individual erodes and wears down as time passes. Osteoarthritis most often will show up in a person's hands, knees, hips, and spine, but any joint in the body can be subject to the symptoms that accompany this condition. Osteoarthritis cannot be cured but treatments are available that can relieve its symptoms.
Osteoarthritis Pain
The symptoms of osteoarthritis that are easily the most recognizable are associated with pain, which initially comes on slowly in a specific joint, such as a knuckle or a knee. Someone with this affliction will feel pain in the affected joint during activity. When someone tries to use an arthritic joint after a span of time where they have been inactive, this pain can show up as well. The joint may feel tender when touched with even a little bit of pressure. Joint stiffness is another sign of osteoarthritis. This stiffness is at its worst first thing in the morning. The pain linked to osteoarthritis gets more intense as time passes.
More Symptoms
Osteoarthritis symptoms do not normally affect joints such as the ankles, jaw, and elbow unless a previous injury or great stress has been placed on them. Other signs of this ailment are a loss of flexibility in a joint that makes movement difficult. Sometimes an individual with osteoarthritis will feel what can best be termed a grating feeling when they use an affected joint. There can be swelling in the region and in some instances, bone spurs can appear around the joint in question.
Treatment for Mild Osteoarthitis
Mild cases of osteoarthritis can be helped by resting the afflicted joint, losing weight to lessen stress on hips and knees, and exercise and physical therapy to make the muscles around joints stronger over time. Heating pads and warm baths can ease the pain that osteoarthritis brings and cold packs can help with spastic muscles. Over-the-counter medications such as arthritic creams contain painkillers and numbing agents that can provide short-term relieve pain.
Stronger Medications
When pain from osteoarthritis is moderate to severe, the medications to treat it need to be stronger. Medications such as acetaminophen, which is in Tylenol and other pain relievers, can be effective as can nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also called NSAIDs). Examples of this type of pain killer are Motrin and Advil. A drug called Tramadol is effective against pain from osteoarthritis without the potentially damaging side effects that NSAIDs can have, such as bleeding in the stomach and liver problems. Cortisone shots are another option for severe arthritis pain, but these shots are normally given in moderation, and there is a limit on how many a doctor will give a patient each year.
Surgical Options
When osteoarthritis symptoms are so severe that the extreme discomfort cannot be relieved with medication, surgery may be an option. Joint replacements are one type of this surgery for arthritis. The injured joint is removed and replaced by metal and plastic prostheses.
Hip and knee replacement surgery is very common, but advances have also allowed such joints as elbows, shoulders, and ankles to be replaced. Arthroscopic surgery is used to take out pieces of cartilage and loose bone fragments, which can relieve pain from osteoarthritis. This minimally invasive surgery is often performed on athletes to "clean up" a joint. Bones can be realigned in some people with osteoarthritis, especially in those where joint replacement isn't possible, such as young kids. Fusing bones can make arthritic joints more stable and able to function without pain, but in such surgeries the flexibility of the joint is severely compromised.
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