What Is Osteoarthritis?
Who is Arthur, and why is he hurting so many people? Dr. Rob gives the inside scoop on this villain.
Rob Lamberts, MD
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What Is Osteoarthritis?
There’s a guy out there who is a real pain. Many of my patients talk about how he messes up their lives, makes it hard to do their daily tasks, and makes them feel very old. His name is Arthur–Arthur Ritis.
Arthritis is a big topic, so I’ll cover the causes, risk factors, and symptoms of osteoarthritis in this article, and next week will discuss prevention and treatment. In a future article, I’ll cover the more severe but less common inflammatory kinds of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.
What Is Osteoarthritis?
In order to discuss osteoarthritis, I first need to talk about joints and bones. A joint is the place where two or more bones come together, such as your elbow or knee. Your bones are covered with a thin smooth substance called cartilage, and the joints are filled with a lubricant called synovial fluid. The cartilage and fluid keep the bones from rubbing against each other at the joints and wearing down. But in osteoarthritis (OA), the cartilage gradually wears down, as does the lubricating ability of the synovial fluid. The joints get more narrow, and the bones in the joint space become deformed, resulting in pain and decreased movement. Sometimes, the bones at the joint enlarge and develop outcroppings commonly called “bone spurs.”
What Are the Symptoms of Osteoarthritis?
Although OA can affect almost any joint, it most often affects the hands, knees, hips, and spine. The symptoms depend on the joint affected, but generally include:
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Pain that occurs with movement.
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Stiffness that occurs after inactivity–particularly in the morning–which gets better with use.
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Bony swelling, which is especially apparent on the hands, affecting the two joints closest to the ends of the fingers.
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Pain in the bones around the joint when they are touched.
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Decreased range of motion
Which Symptoms Are Not Osteoarthritis?
There are several things that point against a diagnosis of OA:
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Joint pain that is not symmetric. OA usually affects both sides of the body just about the same, unless that joint suffered a significant injury earlier in life.
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Onset at a younger age. Symptomatic OA usually happens over age 50, although it can show up earlier on x-rays.
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Sudden onset of pain and/or swelling.
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Warmth or redness of the joint.
What Causes Osteoarthritis?
Doctors used to believe that OA was a normal part of getting older, but that is not really true. Most people get OA as they get older, but getting older doesn’t cause OA. There are a number of things that can predispose a person to getting OA:
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Family history
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Obesity, which can predispose people to getting OA in the knees
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History of a significant injury to a joint earlier in life
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Participation in certain sports
Women are also more prone to serious arthritis than men–particularly in the hands and knees.
Does Exercise Cause Osteoarthritis?
I mentioned that certain sports can cause osteoarthritis. The association between arthritis and athletic activity is very complicated. One source I read said: “in various forms and degrees, exercise may prevent, cause, accelerate, or treat osteoarthritis.” Got that? Me neither. The bottom line seems to be that people who are very active in sports, particularly contact sports, are at an increased risk for arthritis. Specific sports can lead to much higher rates of specific types of arthritis; professional baseball pitchers, for example, are at much higher risk of developing OA in their throwing arm. The odd exception to this is running, which does not appear to be associated with an increase in OA at all.
So what is the real cause of OA? There were a whole lot of very complicated explanations in the articles I read. Whenever I see a bunch of complicated explanations for something, it generally means that scientists still haven’t figured it out to a degree that they can explain it to the rest of us.
How Can You Prevent Osteoarthritis?
So can anything be done to prevent OA? I would love to give you advice on this, but there aren’t any magic pills or exercises yet. I hope they come up with some before I get too much arthritis. Here are a few things that can reduce your chance of getting OA or reduce its severity if it should happen:
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Moderate exercise is probably helpful, although it is no guarantee to prevent OA
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Don’t injure yourself. Being a klutz like me makes OA more likely.
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If your parents have bad arthritis, get different ones who don’t have OA at all.
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Keep your weight down. Obesity increases the risk of OA in your knees.
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Some studies show that people with OA had lower vitamin C and D consumption than those without. That may mean that a good intake of these vitamins could reduce your risk of OA.
That’s as far as I will go for today. Next week I’ll tell you how to keep Arthur Ritis from causing too much trouble in your life.
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If you have topics that you want me to cover, send them to housecalldoctor@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email, or you can submit them to me on twitter (@housecalldoc) or my Facebook page.
Let me once again remind you that this podcast is for informational purposes only. My goal is to add to your medical knowledge and translate some of the weird medical stuff you hear, so when you do go to your doctor, your visits will be more fruitful. I don’t intend to replace your doctor; he or she is the one you should always consult about your own medical condition.
Catch you next time! Stay Healthy!
Older Man image courtesy of Shutterstock