A common form of arthritis is
Osteoarthritis, which is caused by the wearing off and gradual loss of the cartilage of the joints. Cartilage is known as the protein that acts as a safeguard between the bones of the joints. Osteoarthritis is better known as degenerative arthritis. It is seen that Osteoarthritis affects gradually as we grow old. It is observed that osteoarthritis affects males more commonly before the age of 45. However, it affects the female body more frequently after they cross 55 years of age.
Osteoarthritis commonly strikes the spine and the limbs and those joints that are large in size and bears a greater weight, for example: the hips and knees. Most of the times osteoarthritis does not have any well known cause, in such cases it is termed as primary osteoarthritis. Only after the cause of the osteoarthritis is brought out, the situation is termed to as secondary osteoarthritis.
The primary cause of
osteoarthritis is aging. It is with age that the content of water in the cartilage goes up and the protein substance of cartilage reduces. Frequent usage of the joints throughout the years stresses out and affects the cartilage. This ultimately causes joint aches and swellings. Over a period of time, the cartilage starts to wear out by flaking or causing small splits. In some of the advanced situations, there is a complete loss of the cartilage safeguard amidst the bones and the joints. The loss of cartilage triggers off some kind of friction between the bones. This causes a lot of pain and retards the movement of the joints. What can be eventually witnessed is inflammation of the cartilage. A burst of new bone outgrowths can also be stimulated (spurs) to form around the joints. There are cases where
osteoarthritis in the wrist and arms has been found occasionally in family members that suggest a genetic cause as the probable reason for this situation.
Unlike several other types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus, (those that are quite common) osteoarthritis joint pain is not known to strike all other body organs. Pain in the concerned area after frequent use, is one of the most common symptoms of
osteoarthritis. It is observed that any sort of joint pain is worse during the later course of the day. In certain instances, the affected parts of the joints may experience swelling, creaking and warmth. Prolonged redundancy or idleness can be one among the reasons that cause pain and stiffness in the joints. Advanced stages of osteoarthritis may cause one to lose cartilage cushion completely thus leading to friction between bones, causing pain at redundancy.
Osteoarthritis symptoms are not same with every patient; it may vary from person to person. In some patients, these symptoms can even cause incapacity. But in certain other cases, there will be no or limited symptoms, although their joints might exhibit increased degeneration. There can also be instances, when the symptoms are displayed at irregular intervals. And thus it is wouldn’t be cited as strange, when a patient suffering from
osteoarthritis experience long intervals of pain-free situation, even while suffering from the disease.
