In this Article

• What is osteoarthritis?
• What causes osteoarthritis?
• What are symptoms of osteoarthritis?
• How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for osteoarthritis?
• "If I have minimal or no symptoms with early signs of osteoarthritis, what should I do?"
• What does the future hold for osteoarthritis?
• Osteoarthritis At A Glance
• Patient Discussions: Osteoarthritis - Symptoms at Onset of Disease
• Osteoarthritis Glossary
• Osteoarthritis Index

What does the future hold for osteoarthritis?

In the future, medications may be available that protect the cartilage from the deteriorating consequences of osteoarthritis.

Surgical innovation has led to a technique for the repair of isolated splits of cartilage (fissures) of the knee. In this procedure, a patient's own cartilage is actually grown in the laboratory, then inserted into the fissure area and sealed over with a "patch" of the patient's own bone covering the tissue. While this is not a procedure for the cartilage damage of osteoarthritis, it does open the door for future cartilage research. These and other developing areas hold promise for new approaches to an old problem.

Investigators at the National Institutes of Health are currently looking into whether or not taking glucosamine or chondroitin could actually improve or protect the quality of the cartilage in joints affected by osteoarthritis.

Research scientists have found that doxycycline, a tetracycline drug, has been shown to slow the progression of cartilage degeneration in the knees of patients with osteoarthritis. More studies are needed to determined the significance of this early but interesting work.

Osteoarthritis At A Glance

• Osteoarthritis is a joint inflammation that results from cartilage degeneration.
• Osteoarthritis can be caused by aging, heredity, and injury from trauma or disease.
• The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint(s) after repetitive use.
• There is no blood test for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
• The goal of treatment in osteoarthritis is to reduce joint pain and inflammation while improving and maintaining joint function.

For further information about osteoarthritis, please visit the following site:

Arthritis Foundation
(http://www.arthritis.org)

For additional information contact:

Arthritis Foundation
PO Box 19000
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
or contact your local chapter

National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Clearinghouse
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
301-495-4484

Osteoarthritis - Symptoms at Onset of Disease

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

The symptoms of osteoarthritis can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?

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