Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis and is one of the most common ones. Osteoarthritis is further classified into two types – primary osteoarthritis and secondary osteoarthritis. Primary osteoarthritis is a result of aging and the overuse of joints. The cartilage between the joints degenerates and the resulting inflammation causes the bones to rub together. This rubbing often results in nodes and spurs being formed and these in turn make the joints stiff and very painful to move. Any other cause for osteoarthritis is classified as secondary osteoarthritis and this can be due to any medical condition like injury, congenital joint problems, joints that are not well formed or any inflammation or disease that also affects the joints.
Osteoarthritis is also classified into different types depending on which joint is the one affected. So you could be affected with knee osteoarthritis, hip osteoarthritis, spine osteoarthritis, cervical osteoarthritis or spondylitis, ankle osteoarthritis, wrist osteoarthritis, finger osteoarthritis, shoulder osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, tendonitis and bursitis. Any of the joints in the body can be affected by this debilitating disease which attacks the cartilage, reduces it as well as the synovial fluid, making it difficult for the joints to move without pain. In the normal body, these acts as cushions, buffering every move and not allowing the bones of the joints to rub against each other. With all the friction, there could be osteophytes or bony spurs that grow making any movement even more painful and stiff.
Let’s take a look at the most common types of osteoarthritis by location. Knees are the weight bearing joints in the body and there’s a lot of pressure put on them. Without them, you lose your mobility so they are very important for us to live a normal life. So the least twinge of pain and stiffness should get you into the doctor’s office as fast as you can to make sure it does not degenerate too fast. Hip osteoarthritis can also lead to you becoming immobile and must be treated as soon as you start experiencing the least bit of pain. Many older people with hip osteoarthritis will have to use a cane, or worse, a walker when it gets too bad. With spine osteoarthritis, the neck or the lower back could cause a great deal of pain making working very difficult. Immediate treatment may prevent the necessity for surgery to ease the pain. Hand osteoarthritis can also cause terrible pain and the fingers could get all knotty and gnarled if no treatment is given. Early detection and treatment could save you more trouble because research has shown that hand osteoarthritis is usually a precursor to hip and knee osteoarthritis. Pain medication, heat treatment and maybe even putting the hand in splints might be necessary.
Once the cartilage loses its elasticity, the problem begins and while it could be slow in some, in others, the degeneration is very fast. With the cartilage becoming worn out, the edges of the joints become thicker, there could be spurs or bones that appear and the lining of the joint of the synovial fluid becomes inflamed. This in turn causes more damage to the cartilage and the joint goes on a downward spiral to more pain.
Whatever the type of osteoarthritis you might have, this is the degeneration that takes place and you need to consult a doctor to try and see how to keep the damage down to a minimum. This is why it is important to get medical advice in the early stages when the joint first shows signs of being stiff or painful. Knee, spine and hip osteoarthritis are probably the worst because you need these joints to be mobile. In cases that get very bad, you might need to resort to knee or hip replacement or fusion of the painful vertebrae in order to be able to bear the pain.
Osteoarthritis has many stages too – for some, it takes years, for some, maybe months or a year. The first stage is pain and a bit of stiffness. Then, it becomes more painful to move the joints and you could see a bit of swelling. This could get worse and the swelling could get red. Then come the spurs or nodes which make things even more painful. Finally, it becomes almost impossible to move. With the inflammation, there could be a fever and rash but it is the pain and the inability to move that most people find so tough to bear. So getting treatment fast and managing and controlling the condition pays off by keeping the joint mobile and pain free for as long as possible. Yes, osteoarthritis has no cure and the exact cause is not known but there are enough options to manage it and to minimize the pain that accompanies it. Finally, how painful it can be is entirely up to you and what you do to prevent that pain.