Generalized Osteoarthritis: A Case Study

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder. It occurs when cartilage begins to break down or be worn away and the bone rubs together. As a result bony spurs and inflammation of the joint(s) occurs. Surrounding ligaments and muscles may also weaken or stiffen. Major risk factors are: genetics, excess weight, joint injuries, jobs that involve more than an hour of joint stressing activities like kneeling, and sports that involve direct impact on the joints, twisting, or throwing. Bleeding disorders, disorders that blood supply near joints, and other types of arthritis can cause osteoarthritis. Symptoms typically begin while one is middle aged and almost everyone shows some symptoms of OA by age 70. This is important to note because OA is seemingly inevitable for everybody. OA is not curable and typically gets worse with time, but the symptoms can be managed. Strength in weight bearing joints, the hip, the knee, and the ankle, is particularly important for prevention. Also important are not overusing joints and maintaining a normal body weight.

The document Seniors and Aging – Osteoarthritis as part of the It’s Your Health newsletter was prepared by Health Canada in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada. The target audience of this document are the at-risk population of seniors in Canada, who are at an increased risk for developing osteoarthritis. The document emphases certain risk factors that increase the likelihood of getting osteoarthritis and highlights potential steps to decrease one’s likelihood of developing the condition. The majority of Canadians with osteoarthritis are above the age of seventy. Therefore, the purpose of the document is to decrease the prevalence of osteoarthritis by educating the population about risk factors for developing the condition.

The patient is a 72 year old female. She has been experiencing progressively worse pain and stiffness in her joints. She is reports that she is having decreased range of motion, redness, and swelling in her joints. She is reports symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of her body. She is also reporting the symptoms are worse when she first wakes up in the morning.

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is a form of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of cartilage within joints. Cartilage serves to provide cushion at the ends of bones, and when the cushion is not sufficient, as in osteoarthritis, the bones rub together. As a result, osteoarthritis sufferers are constantly plagued by stiff, swollen, and inflamed joints (http://www.arthritis.org/answers/diseasecenter/oa.asp). It is a relatively common condition, with an estimated 20 million American sufferers, most of whom are elderly (http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1668.50297). Traditional treatments include Tylenol, aspirin, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is most prevalent in older patients. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative bone disease due to the gradual loss of cartilage. A primary type of osteoarthritis is hip arthritis where it is caused by joint injury, increasing age, and being overweight (“Hip Osteoarthritis,” n.d.). However, osteoarthritis can also be caused by immature joints, inherited defects in cartilage, and extra stress on a patient’s joints (Hip Osteoarthritis,” n.d.). As a result, hip arthritis becomes a huge detriment in patient’s social, emotional, physical lifestyles. In order to treat hip arthritis, doctors choose from a variety of non-drug treatments, medications, and surgeries. Uniquely, I was inspired to research about the treatments of hip arthritis because my very own brother was pronounced with hip arthritis a few years back. Therefore, his determination to battle this disease encouraged me to investigate about the treatment of hip arthritis.

6. The physician orders alendronate (Fosamax) 70mg/wk. what instructions should you give M.S. regarding alendronate?

DOI: 7/2/2010. The patient is a 57-year old female claims examiner who sustained a work-related cumulative trauma injury to multiple body parts that include head/cervical spine, shoulders, arms knees, and left hip. As per progress report dated 7/11/16, the patient reports neck and low back pain. IT was noted that the pain is associated with left lower extremity numbness, tingling, and weakness. The patient has tried and failed multiple anti-inflammatories, which causes gastrointestinal upset, except for Celebrex. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Nehoryan has recommended her current regimen including Cymbalta and Restoril intermittently for sleep. It was mentioned that the patient had a fall in early 2/2016 due to left lower extremity numbness and is continuing

Her medications include Lipitor but that has been stopped over the last 2 months or so, Norvasc 5 mg p.o. daily, Tylenol Extra Strength 500 mg 1 tablet on a p.r.n. basis, Celebrex 200 mg daily p.r.n. She takes over-the-counter medications including Caltrate 1 tablet daily, lutein 20 mg 1 tablet daily and some Chinese tablets 3 tablets daily.

Osteoarthritis knee is the common form of arthritis; it causes degeneration of knee joints. It develops when cartilage, the lining of joints that allows smooth movement between opposing bones, starts to break down, especially in the elderly. Swelling and inflammation in the affected knee joint are a major cause of pain and disability.

Osteoarthritis is a known joint disease and also a common arthritis. This pathological condition results from wear and tear on the joints. It begins in the cartilage where it’s smooth, slippery tissue covers the ends of the bones as they come together. As this condition worsens, the joint space becomes narrower and becomes flattened. The joints no longer have cushions and it becomes rough to where the bones are rubbing against each other.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, and more than half of all Americans who are older than 65 have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. However, recent US data has revealed knee osteoarthritis does not discriminate age, and there is growing evidence that osteoarthritis affects individuals at a young age. The annual cost of osteoarthritis due to treatment and loss of productivity in the US is estimated to be more than 65 billion dollars.1 With no cure currently available for osteoarthritis, current treatments focus on management of symptoms. The primary goals of therapy include improved joint function, pain relief, and increased joint stability. Although the exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown, many risk factors have been identified including increased age, female gender, obesity, and trauma.2 Within these risk factors, the etiology of osteoarthritis has been divided into anatomy, body mass, and gender.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease where the cartilage of a joint breaks down, causing pain and swelling, along with problems in moving the joint. The disease mostly occurs in the hips, lower back, knees, small joints of the fingers and the neck, however it can occur at any joint. The cartilage of these joints allows a smooth surface between gliding bones and provides cushioning. Over time as osteoarthritis becomes worse, the bones can break down and develop growths called spurs. When osteoarthritis is at its worst, the cartilage wears away and the bones rub against each other, which causes more severe pain and damage to the joint.

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of joints. Osteoarthritis is commonly caused by being overweight, the joints in the body aging and injuries. Some common treatments are exercise , diet, and medication. In more severe cases joint replacement could be an option for treatment.The two most common symptoms of this are stiffness of the joints or swelling. To diagnose Osteoarthritis the doctor must know medical history and the patient must go through a physical examination. Sometimes this means to go through X-rays to lab test.

OA is a musculoskeletal disease that causes chronic joint pain and reduced physical functioning (Laba, brien, Fransen, & jan, 2013). Osteoarthritis (OA) is a non-inflammatory disorder of synovial joints that results in loss of hyaline cartilage and remodeling of surrounding bone. OA is the single most common joint disease, with an estimated prevalence of 60% in men and 70% in women later in life after the age of 65 years, affecting an estimated 40 million people in the United States (Goodman & Fuller, 2009). Women are more commonly affected after the age of 55, almost everyone has some symptoms by the age of 70 (Tan, Zahara, Colburn & Hawkins, 2013, p.78). Osteoarthritis can be described radiological, clinical, or subjective.

3.) Psyllium (Trade Name: Metamucil) 1 tablespoon by mouth, twice a day; used for relief and prevention of constipation (Deglin & Vallerand, 2007).