DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS (OSTEOARTHRITIS)

Osteoarthritis is disease in which larger joints of the body (knees, spine and hands) are affected. It occurs when the cartilage present at the ends of bone gets eroded with time. it is an irreversible disease, though it can be prevented from further progression by doing exercises and maintaining an active life style

Symptoms

Develop slowly with time.

Pain on touching (tenderness)
Stiff joints, usually after awakening
Low range of motion of joints
Severe pain during movement
Sound of crackling while using joint
Joint is swollen
Affected joints have bony spurs

Causes

The main reason behind the disease is the gradual deterioration of the articular cartilage. Not only this but many changes occur at the ends of joint forming bones because of the wear and tear, inflammation and the degradation.

Diagnosis

Can be made through:

Physically examining the joint; flexibility, appearance, edema
X-Ray and MRI
Labs tests which include blood tests and joint fluid analysis

Treatment

It is an irreversible disease but can be stopped from progression. Some medications that are to be taken are as follows:

NSAIDs : naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) and Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
Duloxetine (Cymbalta).
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Besides the medications, therapies are also done to improve the condition

Occupational therapy
Physical therapy

Some other procedures and surgical interventions are also done which include Hyaluronic acid injections, corticosteroid injections, osteotomy/ realigning of bones, joint replacement therapies etc.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Changes in life style helps a lot in improving the condition.

Reduce weight
Increase exercise
Yoga and stretching

Some other things to lessen the pain are:

Topical application of capsaicin, extract of chili pepper.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS) to relieve pain.
Shoe inserts or braces that help in walk.
Cold or hot compression

DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS (OSTEOARTHRITIS)