Osteoarthritis is one of the most common degenerative disorders. It is also known as wear and tear arthritis and degenerative joint disease. In the joint section, two bones come together and clashes to create chronic pain. A protective tissue called cartilage covers the ends of the bones. If the cartilage breaks down, the bones within the joint rub together. As a result, you may experience stiffness, pain and other symptoms as well. If you or your loved ones suffer from any kind of arthritis, make sure to take him or her to a pain clinic immediately.
The Most Common Affected Areas
Keep in mind that osteoarthritis can occur in any joint. However, this condition affects a few body parts the most including hips, fingers, hands, knees, spine and hands. As reported, elder people suffer from OA more than younger people.
Reasons Behind OA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared that this health condition affects more than 32.5 million adults in the United States. An individual suffers from osteoarthritis because of a number of underlying causes including joint malformation, dislocated joints, obesity, ligament injuries and poor posture.
Risk Factors of Osteoarthritis
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A history of injury
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Have a family history of osteoarthritis.
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Suffer from obesity.
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Having undergone menopause
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Women are more prone to OA than men
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If you have diabetes
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Poor posture
Advanced Treatments of OA
Keep one thing in mind that joint replacement is the ultimate treatment option if you want to get rid of this problem. Aside from that, doing exercise regularly, strengthening, physical therapy, weight control, neuromuscular training and analgesic medication for breakthrough pain are the most effective treatment options. If you suffer from knee osteoarthritis, then you should do exercise and physical therapy every day with or without the help of a physical therapist. The doctors also consider these two therapies as non-pharmacological conservative treatments.
Doctors also may suggest neuromuscular training to improve balance and strength in this population. If you have been diagnosed with OA in an early stage, then this treatment option decreases OA symptoms and pain. The experts also recommend taking NSAIDs which is a short-term treatment for knee and hip OA. Apart from that, if you suffer from both obesity and OA and your BMI is greater than 25 kg/m2, then the doctor may suggest you lose a few calories.
Don’t Compromise with Yourself!
We know a lot of people who can’t participate in various events because of their osteoarthritis problem. As they didn’t care about the condition in the beginning, now they don’t have many options except surgery. If you don’t want to put yourself in that condition and live a happy life, then consult with the doctors of a pain clinic. Contact Longevity Pain Management in OKC to get your treatment plan.
**Disclaimer: This content should not be considered medical advice and does not imply a doctor-patient relationship.
