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Overview

●       Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time.

●       Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.

●       Osteoarthritis symptoms can usually be managed, although the damage to joints can’t be reversed. Staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and receiving certain treatments might slow progression of the disease and help improve pain and joint function.

Symptoms

Osteoarthritis symptoms often develop slowly and worsen over time. Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

●     Pain. Affected joints might hurt during or after movement.

●     Stiffness. Joint stiffness might be most noticeable upon awakening or after being inactive.

●     Tenderness. Your joint might feel tender when you apply light pressure to or near it.

●     Loss of flexibility. You might not be able to move your joint through its full range of motion.

●     Grating sensation. You might feel a grating sensation when you use the joint, and you might hear popping or crackling.

●     Bone spurs. These extra bits of bone, which feel like hard lumps, can form around the affected joint.

●     Swelling. This might be caused by soft tissue inflammation around the joint.

Causes

●       Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints gradually deteriorates. Cartilage is a firm, slippery tissue that enables nearly frictionless joint motion.

●       Eventually, if the cartilage wears down completely, bone will rub on bone.

●       Osteoarthritis has often been referred to as a wear and tear disease. But besides the breakdown of cartilage, osteoarthritis affects the entire joint. It causes changes in the bone and deterioration of the connective tissues that hold the joint together and attach muscle to bone. It also causes inflammation of the joint lining.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of osteoarthritis include:

●     Older age. The risk of osteoarthritis increases with age.

●     Sex. Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, though it isn’t clear why.

●     Obesity. Carrying extra body weight contributes to osteoarthritis in several ways, and the more you weigh, the greater your risk. Increased weight adds stress to weight-bearing joints, such as your hips and knees. Also, fat tissue produces proteins that can cause harmful inflammation in and around your joints.

●     Joint injuries. Injuries, such as those that occur when playing sports or from an accident, can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Even injuries that occurred many years ago and seemingly healed can increase your risk of osteoarthritis.

●     Repeated stress on the joint. If your job or a sport you play places repetitive stress on a joint, that joint might eventually develop osteoarthritis.

●     Genetics. Some people inherit a tendency to develop osteoarthritis.

●     Bone deformities. Some people are born with malformed joints or defective cartilage.

●     Certain metabolic diseases. These include diabetes and a condition in which your body has too much iron (hemochromatosis).

Complications

●       Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that worsens over time, often resulting in chronic pain. Joint pain and stiffness can become severe enough to make daily tasks difficult.

●       Depression and sleep disturbances can result from the pain and disability of osteoarthritis.

Diagnosis

●       During the physical exam, your doctor will check your affected joint for tenderness, swelling, redness and flexibility.

Imaging tests

To get pictures of the affected joint, your doctor might recommend:

●     X-rays. Cartilage doesn’t show up on X-ray images, but cartilage loss is revealed by a narrowing of the space between the bones in your joint. An X-ray can also show bone spurs around a joint.

●     Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of bone and soft tissues, including cartilage. An MRI isn’t commonly needed to diagnose osteoarthritis but can help provide more information in complex cases.

Medications

Medications that can help relieve osteoarthritis symptoms, primarily pain, include:

●     Acetaminophen. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) has been shown to help some people with osteoarthritis who have mild to moderate pain. Taking more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen can cause liver damage.

●     Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Over-the-counter NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), taken at the recommended doses, typically relieve osteoarthritis pain. Stronger NSAIDs are available by prescription.
NSAIDs can cause stomach upset, cardiovascular problems, bleeding problems, and liver and kidney damage. NSAIDs as gels, applied to the skin over the affected joint, have fewer side effects and may relieve pain just as well.

●     Duloxetine (Cymbalta). Normally used as an antidepressant, this medication is also approved to treat chronic pain, including osteoarthritis pain.

Our expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating Osteoarthritis and are your source for expert treatment of Osteoarthritis in Westminster and Denver Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your Premier destination for Osteoarthritis Treatment in Westminster Colorado and Denver Colorado Chiropractor.