Do you know what osteoarthritis is ? It is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It occurs when the protective cartilage, the one that aims to protect the ends of the bones, wears out. It affects millions of people and can damage any joint . However, it mainly affects the knees, hands, spine, and hips.
Of course, one of the biggest concerns around osteoarthritis is its symptoms . It is true that these, at a general level, can be controlled. However, the damage to the affected joints cannot be reversed. In order to slow the progression of the disease, health professionals recommend maintaining a healthy weight and getting some exercise . In this way, each person will be able to maintain the function of their joints and will relieve, in part, the pain.
What is osteoarthritis?
When asked what osteoarthritis is , we can say that it is one of the most common and oldest diseases that human beings have suffered. A person with osteoarthritis feels that the cartilage in the joints is wearing away , causing stiffness and pain in these parts of the body to show up.
Osteoarthritis is also recognized by many other names , such as osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, and hypertrophic arthritis. It is sometimes confused with osteoporosis, when they have nothing to do with each other. This influences the weakening of the bones and is due to the loss of bone mass. Thus, for example, rounded shoulders can cause loss of height. What’s more, painful fractures may develop.
There are many ailments that can cause osteoarthritis . These include a joint injury, excess weight, nerve damage, muscle weakness, hereditary factors, and even synovium disease.
Causes of Osteoarthritis
Now that we know what osteoarthritis is, it’s time to talk about its causes. According to doctors, many factors are involved in the development of this disease . Some of the most prominent are obesity, heredity or muscle weakness, among others. Therefore, in this section we are going to describe each of these cases.
Inheritance
It is very common that in some families this disease is a hereditary defect. This occurs in one of the genes responsible for collagen , which is one of the main protein components of cartilage. In this way, the cartilage deteriorates more quickly, showing itself to be defective. It is true that, in these cases and during youth, osteoarthritis does not pose any type of difficulty. Now, as time goes by, the joints can wear out . In addition, women who are predisposed to this problem for hereditary reasons, suffer the risk of developing bone nodules , mainly in the joints of the fingers of the hands.
On the other hand, those who were born with minor defects that prevent the joints from moving and fitting properly , such as hips with congenital abnormalities or bowed legs, are at higher risk for osteoarthritis . The same thing happens to those people who are born with very flexible joints.
Obesity
According to the research carried out so far, another problem that can increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee is obesity . Thus, it has been concluded that body weight during the middle and late years is one of the highest risk factors for suffering from OA in the knees. Furthermore, the most critical period would be approximately ten years before symptoms appear. In this way, maintaining an adequate and healthy weight is very important if we want to prevent this problem.
Aging
Aging is another factor that influences the onset of osteoarthritis . In this way, it is more common in those people who are over 65 years old. Keep in mind that it affects both women and men. However, up to the age of fifty, the latter are more likely to suffer from it . Now, from this age, it appears more easily in women .
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
After analyzing what osteoarthritis is and its causes , in this section we are going to focus on its symptoms. These usually develop slowly, getting worse over time. Some of the most prominent are:
- Stiffness : the person suffering from osteoarthritis may feel the symptoms more acutely when they have been inactive for a while, for example, when getting up. Thus, you notice stiffness in those areas that have been affected by the disease.
- Pain : in those joints that have been affected by this disease pain is felt during or after movement. In this way, it limits the time to carry out some activities, even the most everyday ones.
- Loss of flexibility : someone with osteoarthritis may not be able to move their joints as a person who does not have this disease would.
- Sensitivity : normally, those with OA feel the most sensitive joints when minimal pressure is applied to the damaged area or the one that is close to it.
- Osteophytes : Osteophytes are extra pieces of bone. These feel like hard lumps and can develop around the affected joint.
- Swelling : swelling can occur due to inflammation in the soft tissues around the joint.
- Squeaking sensation : People with osteoarthritis may hear clicking sounds or have a squeaking sensation when they move the affected joint.
Risk factors for OA
There are factors that can increase your risk of OA . The most prominent are the following:
- Gender : Depending on age, men or women may have a higher risk of osteoarthritis. However, the latter generally suffer from it more.
- Age : As you age, the risk of osteoarthritis also increases.
- Obesity : having a weight higher than healthy influences when osteoarthritis makes an appearance. The greater the weight, the greater the risk. The reason is that as the weight increases, the joints suffer greater stress, especially certain areas such as the knees or hips. Also, it should be noted that fatty tissue produces proteins. In this way, the joints and the areas around them suffer from inflammation.
- Joint injuries: those injuries that take place by an accident or by practicing a sport, among other causes, can increase the risk of suffering from osteoarthritis. Moreover, even the lesions that developed years ago and of which no trace remains, also influence the appearance of this disease.
- Genes : as we have explained in previous sections, genetics is another risk factor for osteoarthritis.
- Metabolic diseases : there are metabolic diseases that influence the onset of osteoarthritis, such as hemochromatosis, in which the body has too much iron, or diabetes.
- Repeated stress on the joint : If you play a sport or do a job where a joint is repeatedly stressed, you may develop osteoarthritis over time.
- Bone deformities : Some people are born with defective cartilage or malformed joints.
