ABOUT OSTEOARTHRITIS

DID YOU KNOW?

Twenty-seven million Americans are living with osteoarthritis. Known as the “wear and tear” disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition responsible for the breakdown of soft tissue (known as cartilage) in the bone joints. Cartilage tissue is found in the joint where two bones meet and allows for easy movement of the bones. As this cushion of tissue wears away, bones begin to grind against one another. This leads to symptoms such as stiffness, pain and a possible loss of movement in the joint.

Even though evidence of OA has been found in ancient human skeletons, scientists still don’t know the exact cause and there is no cure. Many different factors can play a role in whether or not a person gets OA, such as:

• Age
• Obesity
• Injury and muscle weakness
• Genetics or heredity

STAGES AND SYMPTOMS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

There are several stages of OA and symptoms that can occur:

• In early stages cartilage loses flexibility and is more prone to damage by injury or use.
• The wear to the cartilage causes changes to the bone structure, such as bony growths known as “spurs” which begin to grow at the joint.
• In later stages pieces of bone or cartilage can float loosely in the joint space between bones.
• The joint lining then becomes inflamed which releases enzymes and inflammation proteins that cause further damage to the cartilage.

All stages of OA cause some discomfort, but symptoms in the later stages of the disease range from stiffness and soreness to extreme and debilitating pain.

Symptoms of OA in the hip and/or knee joint include:

• Pain in the groin, inner thigh and buttock
• Pain in the knee and side of thigh
• Limping when walking
• Pain when moving the knee
• Grating or catching when moving the knee
• Pain when walking up and down stairs or getting up from a chair
• Pain that prevents you from exercising your leg
• Weakened large thigh muscles

Information cited from the Arthritis Society and the Arthritis Foundation