Osteoarthritis Treatment, Symptoms, and Diet
Though osteoarthritis is disease which is not life threatening can affect the lives of people significantly. This disease which affects the various joints in the body and causes pain and swelling is something many people find difficult to cope with in their lives. This is because of the complications of osteoarthritis which can cause immobility and pain in their lives.
The major complications of osteoarthritis are of course pain as the degree of pain can vary from being just mild to even crippling causing debility. People cannot expect arthritis to just disappear but the pain of early osteoarthritis can lessen. Pain when it becomes severe can cause the patients to desist from activities and mental and physical health gets affected due to this. Many people because of this disease tend to even quit work early before their retirement age because the pain becomes unbearable. Many people find that osteoarthritis is a great nuisance as it cripples their daily activities also as no known treatment to rid one of arthritis has been found yet. This is a degenerative disease which people have to put up with and needs to be treated effectively.
Another of the complications of osteoarthritis is other than disability due to joint pain and stiffness which can make life really miserable are rapid breakdown of cartilage tissue called chondrolysis, bone death or osteonecrosis, hairline cracks which can develop in the bones due to repeated injuries or even stress, joint infections and bleeding.
Some other complications of osteoarthritis include pinched nerve which occurs in the spine, the rupture and tear of tendons and ligaments surrounding the joints, bone spurs, water accumulating in the knee joints, Ganglion cysts, Bunions, hammer toe, spinal stenosis, and Sacroillitis etc. Adverse reactions to certain drugs which have been used for treatment and complications arising in surgery can also contribute to complications of osteoarthritis patients.
Water on the knee is one of the common complications of osteoarthritis patients. Here the patient finds that a swelling in the knee joints arises due to the accumulation of water which gets collected there. This water on the knee which is also known as knee effusion can cause the breakdown of the joint cartilage. This breakdown further increases the pain but may not cause immobility in the patients. Proper treatment for this complication can make you mobile.
So if you suffer from any one of the above complications which may cause you immense pain and the disability to go about your daily activities then you certainly need to get treatment for osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease; it is a set of abnormalities that involve the worsening condition of the joints. DJD involves not just one part, but the entire joint including the muscles, nearby muscles, joint lining, underlying bone, and the joint cover. Osteoarthritis symptoms could be pain in the joints, tenderness, and stiffness after resting that gets better soon, muscle atrophy with increased inactivity, locking, and at times effusion. The causes of osteoarthritis are not known, but have surmised to be developmental, hereditary, metabolic, or mechanical in nature. Osteoarthritis could also be caused by injury, ageing, being overweight, and loss of strength in the bones.
What really happens? The bone surfaces become exposed and receive less protection from the cartilage. The cartilage gets damaged, and as a result the cartilage that generally bears the shock is lost. This results in increased friction, which, in turn, causes permanent damage in the joints as they keep rubbing against one another. Osteoarthritis does not happen in a day, it progresses slowly. At first, there is formation of osteophytes, which is when the space between the joints narrows. This can cause the water content in the cartilage to reduce, making the cartilage weak and leading to degradation. There is also inflammation in the joints, which leads to the appearance of subchondral cysts that are formed underneath the cartilage. It is also called the erosive phase. In the final stages, the bone starts to remodel and that is when the joints attempt to heal and repair themselves. Other factors that can trigger osteoarthritis are diabetes, congenital diseases, septic arthritis, inflammatory disease, and obesity.
What parts does osteoarthritis affect? Osteoarthritis generally affects the hands, feet, spine, knees, and hips. However, it can also affect any joint in the body, and as osteoarthritis progresses, the affected joints feel worse with pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis could also cause a crackling noise when the joints are moved, and there could be spasms and contractions in the tendons. The joints also get filled with fluids, and cold weather tends to heighten the pain. In osteoarthritis in the hands, the small joints can get hard and enlarged, forming Herberden’s nodes and Bouchard’s nodes, which limit the movement of the fingers.
Exercises for Osteoarthritis
How to treat osteoarthritis? Treating arthritis early is the best thing as it can save you from further complications. The treatment of osteoarthritis will help reduce the symptoms, improve joint movement, and reduce the damage caused to the joints. For osteoarthritis pain relief, there are many treatments including control of weight, proper exercise, hot and cold therapy, stress control, pain medication, injections to the joints, and surgery. Being overweight can increase the risks of osteoarthritis as one ages, so it becomes imperative to lose weight and consume a proper osteoarthritis diet. This helps to reduce pain, improve movement of joints, and enhance self-esteem. Exercises for osteoarthritis include stretching exercise that involves stretching of the arms and legs to improve flexibility. Isometric exercises help to tense the muscles without moving them, aiding in the development of size and power. Aerobic exercises like swimming and walking on level ground help in reducing pain as they are milder. Such exercises are recommended for people with osteoarthritis of the hips, knees, and shoulders. Hot and cold compresses help relieve pain and inflammation. Medication also helps in treating osteoarthritis. When the conditions get worse, surgery is recommended to make the condition better.
Osteoarthritis in the shoulder is an uncommon problem that affects the ball and socket joint of the shoulders. In most cases, the shoulder would have been injured earlier, and the wear and tear of the cartilage would have led to osteoarthritis in the shoulder. Injuries such as bone fracture, dislocation, or blow to the shoulder can cause osteoarthritis. In treating osteoarthritis of this kind, it is important to exercise but not to overdo it, which can cause more strain.
An osteoarthritis diet consists of green vegetables, carrots, avocado, barley, wheat products, whole grains, seeds like pumpkin, flax, and sesame, salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring. Avoid alcohol, coffee, sugar, saturated fats, plums, spinach, buckwheat, and nuts.
