Overview of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that results in the breakdown of cartilage, the soft tissue that cushions the bones in your joints. As a result, bones rub together, causing pain, stiffness and swelling.

Osteoarthritis isn’t the wear-and-tear arthritis associated with aging. Instead, it’s caused by genetics and other factors that make you more prone to developing arthritis. It can strike any joint — hands, feet, knees or hips — but is most common in the knees and hips.

Osteoarthritis can also affect cartilage in your spine and even spinal discs. Back pain from osteoarthritis may be worse than usual after sitting for long periods of time or when you get up from a chair or bed. Osteoarthritic back pain may feel like a dull ache or burning sensation that gets worse when you move around.

What happens in osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It’s an age-related disease that causes the cartilage that surrounds joints to wear away. The cartilage helps cushion bones and allow them to glide smoothly over each other.

When you have osteoarthritis, it’s usually because you’ve damaged the joint cartilage so much that it can no longer hold the joint together. This can lead to inflammation, pain and stiffness.

Cartilage damage can be caused by a number of factors including:

Injury or trauma to a joint – such as a blow or fall on a knee or hip

Joint overuse – such as constantly walking on uneven surfaces or putting pressure on feet when standing for long periods of time (known as postural fatigue)

Ageing – most people develop osteoarthritis in late middle age but it’s not uncommon for teenagers and young adults to develop symptoms too.

Who Gets Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis affects people of all ages and races, but certain groups have a higher risk than others.

Older adults. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in older people. Over time, cartilage wears away, making it harder for your joints to move smoothly.

The risk of osteoarthritis increases as you get older. It’s rare for someone younger than 40 to get it, but about half of people 70 and older have osteoarthritis in at least one joint.

Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but it most often affects the hands, knees, hips, lower back and neck. Specific types of arthritis include:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — RA occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue that lines your joints. It occurs most often in young women between 20 and 40 years old, although anyone can get RA at any age.

Psoriatic arthritis — Psoriatic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops due to psoriasis (chronic skin condition). It causes pain in joints throughout the body and sometimes affects internal organs such as the lungs or heart.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) — JIA is a type of inflammatory arthritis that usually begins before age 16 and lasts for more than six weeks.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

The symptoms may vary depending on the severity of osteoarthritis in your knee. They may get worse with activity and improve with rest. Some people have mild symptoms that don’t interfere much with their daily activities, but others may have severe symptoms that make it hard to walk or bend their knee.

The following are some symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knee:

Pain around the joint — Most people with osteoarthritis report pain around their knees, usually on the underside of their kneecap or close to it. You may also feel tenderness when pressing on the joint. You may not notice this until you try to move it or stand up from sitting for a long period of time

Swelling — Swelling occurs because fluid builds up inside parts of your body as a result of injury or inflammation (swelling). Swelling can also occur if you have high blood pressure (hypertension)

Cause of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of joint cartilage, leading to pain and stiffness in the joints. The exact cause is unknown, but there are a number of factors that can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis:

Age – osteoarthritis is more common as you get older.

Gender – women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis than men.

Weight – being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing osteoarthritis in all your joints.

Joint injury – having a joint injury can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis in that joint.

Smoking – smoking increases your risk of developing osteoarthritis because it reduces the blood supply to the cartilage, making it weaker and more likely to break down over time.

Treatment for Osteoarthritis

Treatment of osteoarthritis can involve lifestyle changes and medications.

Lifestyle Changes

Stopping smoking, losing weight and exercising regularly can help reduce pain from osteoarthritis. So can heat therapy and cold therapy. Heat helps reduce inflammation, and cold reduces pain.

Medications

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the main treatment for osteoarthritis. These drugs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen sodium (Aleve), celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac sodium (Voltaren) and others. These drugs are available over-the-counter or by prescription. NSAIDs are usually taken every six hours, but you should follow the directions on your prescription label or ask your doctor how often to take them. You may need to take these drugs long term to prevent flare-ups of pain in your joints. Side effects include stomach upset, heartburn and diarrhea.

Glucosamine sulfate may help prevent cartilage breakdown in osteoarthritis of the knee or hip in some people who have mild symptoms that haven’t responded well to other treatments.

Clinical Trials for Osteoarthritis

There are a number of clinical trials for osteoarthritis. Below is the list of clinical trials for Osteoarthritis.

A study to determine if a daily dose of metformin decreases severity and frequency of symptoms in people with osteoarthritis knee pain as compared to placebo

A study to evaluate the effect of a new medication (Ramelteon) on sleep quality in patients with osteoarthritis knee pain

The purpose of this study is to test whether or not methylphenidate (MPH) can help children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improve their school performance.