Osteoarthritis
By: Maria Zimmerman
Definintion
Symptoms
Symptoms develop slowly, usually beginning as a mild ache or soreness. It most commonly occurs in hips, knees, spine, and fingers.
- pain
- stiffness
- muscle weakness
- swelling
- deformed joints
- reduced range of motion and loss of use of the joint
- cracking & creaking
Causes
Prevention
Staying Healthy
Keeping a healthy weight is important, it you maintain a healthy weight it will take some of the extra stress of of your knees and other joints.
Be active
It's important to keep staying in good shape, over time a lack of exercise can lead to weak muscles and joints.
Protect your joints
You have to be careful about what you're doing, don't try to do anything that may cause your muscles and joints to swell or cause pain.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis can begins with your medical history, or information about your health. Your doctor will ask you about conditions that run in your family and will want to find out about some symptoms that could lead you to seek medical attention.
Information your doctor may need to know:
• description of your symptoms
• details about when and how the pain began
• where you are feeling pain
• how symptoms are affecting you
• other medical problems that could be causing these
Treatment
Medications
- Acetaminophen
- Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Narcotics
Therapy
- Physical
- Occupational
- Braces or Shoe Inserts
- A chronic pain class
Surgical and other procedures
- Cortisone Shots
- Lubrication Injections
- Realigning Bones
- Joint replacement
Statistics
- 27 million Americans have Osteoarthritis
- 1 in 2 people will have Osteoarthritis in their lifetime
- 3 in 5 people who are obese are at risk of Osteoarthritis
- each year there are about 632,000 of joint replacement due to Osteoarthritis
- In 2004 there were 662,000 hospitalizations due to Osteoarthritis