Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis

Introduction

Hypertrophic Osteoarthritis or more comply called Osteoarthritis is one of the most common disorders of the joint and a form of arthritis that happens due to wear and tear of a joint and aging factors. Osteoarthritis affects millions of human beings all around the globe. It is also known as wear and tear arthritis and mainly happens when the cartilages on the bone ends starts to tear down along with time.

Discussion

Osteoarthritis can cause damages to any of the joints in the body; this type of disorder is more commonly observed in the joints of hips, knees, lower back, neck and hands. The disease worsens gradually with the passage of time and there is no clear cure for the disease. However, the treatments of osteoarthritis can decrease the disease progression, improve the functions of the joints and relieve the pain due to the joint damages (A.D.A.M, 2011).

Causes

Osteoarthritis is normal due to the aging factor. The disease is also causes due to heavy wear and tear of a joint. Mainly it affects the cartilage of the joints that is a firm, rubber type tissue that is used to cushion the bones near the joints that helps the bones to glide over each other. If for any reason the cartilage of the joint breaks or wears down, the joint starts to rub the bones together that causes stiffness, pain and swelling. Occurrence of extra bone or bony spurs may also occur around the joints. The muscles and ligaments near the joints also get stiff and weak due to the problem. Osteoarthritis mainly occurs in the middle ages and nearly everyone is found with symptoms of osteoarthritis by the age of 70. The symptoms may be minor to great based on the wear and tear of the bones. Till the age of 55, the disease is observed equally in both women and men however, after 55 the disease is more commonly observed in women.

Osteoarthritis is also a disease that tends to run in the families. The occurrence of overweight in bodies is also an increased risk for osteoarthritis in the foot joints, knee and hips. This is because the burden of extra weight creates more wear and tear of the bones. Joint injuries and bone fractures may also lead to osteoarthritis in the later years of life. These also include the injuries of the ligaments and cartridges of bone joints (Johnston, 1997).

Jobs that include squatting and kneeling process with a time duration of more than one hour is considered as one of the highest risks of osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the jobs that demand walking, lifting and climbing the stairs also create a risk for osteoarthritis.

Sports that have an impact over the joints of the bodies such as soccer, basketball and football also enhance the risk for osteoarthritis.

Symptoms

Stiffness and pain in the joints is one of the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis. The pain is observed to be worse after exercises or when weight or pressure is applied to the ...