Osteoarthritis: A Very Common Joint Disease

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.

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 is a noncommunicable disease. In Unit 4 Lesson 6 it talked about noncommunicable diseases and how to prevent yourself from developing osteoarthritis and other noncommunicable diseases. It says, “You can help reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis by controlling your weight to minimize pressure on the joints, staying active to keep your joints strong, preventing sports injuries by wearing protective equipment and practicing proper warm-ups, and taking precautions against Lyme disease, an illness spread by deer ticks.” Getting regular physical activity helps you to stay active and eating a healthy diet can help you to control you

As stated earlier, the patient admitting challenge was right total knee replacement related to history of osteoarthritis as evidenced by unrelieved pain. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that “results from cartilage damage that triggers a metabolic response at the level of the chondrocytes” (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Barry, Goldsworthy & Goodridge, 2011, p. 1881). As it progress, it causes the cartilage to become “dull, yellow, and granular” instead of being “smooth, white, translucent” (Lewis et al., 2011; Gulanick & Myers, 2014, p. 1881).As a result, it eventually becomes softer, less elastic, and less capable to resist wear during heavy use. Moreover, as the “central cartilage becomes thinner, cartilage and bony growth increases at the joint margins … that results to uneven distribution of stress across the joint” that contributes to a decrease in motion. (Lewis et al., 2011; Gulanick & Myers, 2014, p. 1882). According to this patient, OA has been giving her pain for about two years that lead her to the decision of having the knee replacement.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis are usually very slow to manifest worsen over time. Symptoms include joint pain, tenderness in joints, joint stiffness, loss of flexibility, a grating sound in the joints and hard lumps around the joints. Though the symptoms can be present in any joint, it’s usually more evident in the affected person’s joints in their knees, hands, hips and spinal column. People at risk are again older people especially women, obese people, those who have had joint injuries, people employed in manual labor jobs, and certain diseases such as diabetes, gout and rheumatoid arthritis where the side effect is osteoporosis. As in osteoporosis, there is no cure for osteoarthritis and the symptoms just keep worsening in patients, but it can be prevented and / or the slow the progression of the disease by staying active and by staying in good physical shape, maintaining body weight. This also help them improve pain and joint

osteoarthritis is moral and beneficial to society. Osteoarthritis is the most well-known type of joint illness around the world. Also, the individual's own particular bone marrow stem cells is a significant wellspring of potential treatment as they can produce joint tissue the body will not reject when re-embedded. All things considered, as individuals age the quantity of stem cells diminishes and those that remain are less capable of developing and repairing tissue. Likewise, once an injury happens the cells in newts can change utilizing a procedure known as dedifferentiation. The cells combine and come back to a stem cell like state to permit them to multiply and create the specific cells required for new tissue arrangement. Be that as it

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. It’s where flexible tissues in the end of the bones wear down. It mostly occurs in knees, hips, lower back, fingers, and the neck. In Osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the bone breaks down which causes pain, swelling, and problems in moving the joint. When it worsens over time, one can get spurs, where bones break down and develop growths. Even though this can occur in anyone, ones who are over the age of 65 will most likely get Osteoarthritis. Some risk factors will include the increasing of age, obesity, genes, weak joint muscles, previous joint injury, and the overuse of the joint in the body. Some related signs/symptoms can be swelling around a joint, stiff joint, and/or having a clicking sound

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.

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.

The goals for management are to reduce joint pain and stiffness, maintain and improve joint mobility, improve muscle strength, limit subsequent joint damage and improve quality of life. Conservative treatment may include rest, range-of-motion exercises, use of assistive device to decrease weight-bearing, weight loss and glucosamine. Pharmacological treatment may include analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs or intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (Ng, Heesch & Brown 2012). Alternative therapy includes acupuncture or magnetic bracelets. Surgical treatment includes artificial implants to create new joints, correction of a deformity or misalignment, and improvement of joint movement (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2010). The Osteoarthritis Research Society International (ORSI) has an extensive list of recommendations to manage OA that emphasizes weight reduction in the obese, exercise and educating patients (ORSI,

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.

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Due to these changes in the cartilage this can cause great pain, discomfort and stiffness. It can also cause mobility issues in the elderly. This puts the elderly at high risk for falls and ultimately other possible injuries. This can be very frustrating as it can affect their independence and ability to perform everyday tasks. There are medicines, therapies and surgery to help with osteoarthritis. People with osteoarthritis can lead a very fulfilling life when this disease is treated correctly.

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.

Rheumatic or musculoskeletal conditions comprise over 150 diseases and syndromes. One condition called Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease that affects the cartilage. In developed countries it ranks among the top ten for disabling diseases. It is associated with aging and affects the joints that have been continuously stressed throughout the years. This includes the knees, hips, fingers, and lower spine region. The condition presents itself as a loss in flexibility, stiffness, and a deep, achy pain. Treatment of this condition requires a variety of components to fit a person's needs, lifestyle, and health.