Osteoarthritis Fact Sheet
Osteoarthritis is characterised by mild to debilitating pain in the hands and joints such as knees, hips, feet and back. The disease is most prevalent among individuals 45 years of age and older. Women are more prone to osteoarthritis than men.
Download patient leaflet about Osteoarthritis (from USA)
What Is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease and is one of the oldest and
most common forms of arthritis. The disease, osteoarthritis, causes
cartilage breakdown found in joints. This breakdown removes the buffer
between bones and the resulting bone against bone friction causes pain and
eventual loss of movement. Symptoms include joint pain or aching (often
after exercise or extended periods of pressure on weight-bearing joints) and
limited or eventual loss of range of motion.
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As the opposing cartilage surfaces wear away, the knee collapses causing deformities such as bowleggedness (varus) or knock knees (valgus). These deformities can contribute to pain and functional losses of the knee.
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How Do You Get Osteoarthritis?
There are a wide array of factors that cause the development and progression of osteoarthritis.
Risk factors include:
- Ageing
- Obesity
- Joint injuries (sports, work or accidents)
- Genetics
How Do Patients Find Out if They Have Osteoarthritis?
An individual must seek the diagnosis of a doctor. After a physical examination and full detailing of symptoms have been discussed, the doctor may also recommend X-rays to confirm presence of osteoarthritis.
What Are Treatment Options for Ostearthritis?
The treatment options for osteoarthritis, include:
- Joint and muscle exercises to improve strength and flexibility
- Weight management to relieve stress on weight-bearing joints
- Anti-inflammatory drugs for degenerative joint disorders
- Heat/Cold therapies
- Synovectomy (surgical removal of inflamed synovial tissue)
- Osteotomy (restructuring of the bones to shift stresses from diseased to more healthy tissue)
- Partial knee replacements (unicompartmental knee - replaces only diseased portion of the joint)
- Total knee replacement (used when severe osteoarthritis is present).
Useful Link for Osteoarthritis
The FRAX® tool has been developed by WHO to evaluate fracture risk of patients. The output is a 10-year probability of hip fracture and the 10-year probability of a major osteoporotic fracture (clinical spine, forearm, hip or shoulder fracture). Go here for osteoarthritis and other fracture risk.
