How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is diagnosed primarily on X-Ray. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be done later to check for the extent of bone erosion and other injuries to the joint structure. For diagnosing OA, doctors ask for your medical history and look for the signs and symptoms. This is generally done by rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons.
How is osteoarthritis different from rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can affect all the joints of your limbs—hands, fingers, elbows, knees, and hips. Meanwhile, osteoarthritis (OA) frequently affects your knees, hip, and spine.
RA always affects multiple joints on both sides of the body, whereas OA may only affect one particular joint or area of the body.
Most often, RA is frequently accompanied by signs such as joint swelling, tenderness, and fever. RA may also involve the lungs, eyes, and other organs. These signs are usually not seen in OA.
What is the best treatment for osteoarthritis?
Once osteoarthritis (OA) starts developing, you can only slow down the progression of the disease and not reverse it. The best treatment for OA varies from person to person. Most often, a combination of various therapies gives the best results. These therapies include the following:
Physical measures
- Excess weight puts pressure on your knee joints, hips, and lower back. Weight loss can reduce your chances of disability due to OA.
- Exercise can improve your muscle strength and reduce joint pain and stiffness.
- Supportive devices, such as a walking cane, can help you walk with ease.
- Heating pads/bags or cold therapy can help relieve OA symptoms temporarily.
- Alternative/complementary therapies such as hot fomentation (spa), massage, acupressure, and acupuncture can help relieve pain for a short time.
Drug therapy
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen can help relieve the pain and swelling in patients with OA. These can be in the form of topical gels, oral pills, or injections.
- Some medications work to change how your body responds to pain. Popular options include prescription opioids containing oxycodone or hydrocodone. Opioids can be addictive.
- Cymbalta (Duloxetine) is also one of the effective drugs for pain associated with chronic OA.
- Narcotics such as oxycodone and hydrocodone are prescribed if you have extreme joint pain or fail to respond to NSAIDs and analgesics.
- Sometimes, a steroid drug or lubricant, such as hyaluronic acid, is injected into the painful joints. These shots may help delay the need for knee replacement surgery by a few years in some patients with OA.
Surgery
- Surgical treatment becomes an option for severe cases that do not get any relief from the aforementioned treatments. This can be in the form of arthroscopy or knee replacement surgery.
- Arthroscopy helps in repairing the joint damage by inserting a long camera like a tube in your knee.
- Knee replacement surgery is mostly advised in severely damaged knee joints, particularly if you are obese.
Supplements
- Many over-the-counter dietary supplements, such as calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin, are used in the treatment of OA.
- However, first, you need to consult your doctor if you are on some other medicines to avoid drug interactions.
What happens if osteoarthritis is left untreated?
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees or hips can lead to the following complications:
- Deformities such as a bow-legged appearance due to knee joint involvement
- Chronic pain due to joint erosion affecting the quality of life
- Pinched nerves causing pain and muscle weakness causing restricted movements
- Stress fractures over weakened bones
- Poor quality of life
SLIDESHOW
Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain See SlideshowReferences
Medscape Medical Reference
Complete List
Top What Is the Best Treatment for Osteoarthritis Related Articles
14 Early Signs of Arthritis in the Legs
Leg arthritis affects the joints of the hips, knees, ankles or feet. The early signs and symptoms of arthritis in the legs include pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased range of motion, trouble walking, fever, bump-like swelling, and other symptoms.
Arthritis in Knee: 4 Stages of Osteoarthritis
Painful joint swelling is called arthritis. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear of the joints over many years. Arthritis maye develop in any joint, including the fingers, hips and knees. Usually, patients with arthritis feel pain in their joints even after moderate movements. There are four stages of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Osteoarthritis (OA or Degenerative Arthritis)
Osteoarthritis, or degenerative arthritis, is a type of arthritis caused by inflammation, breakdown, and eventual loss of cartilage in the joints. Osteoarthritis can be caused by aging, heredity, and injury from trauma or disease.
OA & Your Joints
Dealing with joint pain and arthritis? Learn why weight matters--and why NOT to stretch before exercise. See these solutions for joint pain and tips to protect your joints from damage.
OA of the Knee Exercises
Learn about osteoarthritis and exercises that relieve knee osteoarthritis pain, stiffness and strengthen the knee joint and surrounding muscles through this picture slideshow.
Osteoarthritis: 15 Tips to Improve Daily Living With OA
Have arthritis in the knee? Osteoarthritis joint pain can make it hard to carry out activities of daily living. Cartilage destruction can cause symptoms like pain, stiffness, and swelling. Treatment for the degenerative joint disease can make living with arthritis easier.
Osteoarthritis Slideshow
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease most often affecting major joints such as knees, hands, back, or hips. Osteoarthritis symptoms include pain, swelling and joint inflammation.
Osteoarthritis Picture
Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints. See a picture of Osteoarthritis and learn more about the health topic.
Osteoarthritis Quiz
How does osteoarthritis differ from other types of arthritis? Learn about osteoarthritis with this quiz.
Osteoarthritis vs. Osteoporosis Differences and Similarities
Arthritis is defined as painful inflammation and joint stiffness. Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis and the most common cause of chronic joint pain, affecting over 25 million Americans. Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that involves the entire joint. Osteoporosis is not a type of arthritis. It is a disease that mainly is caused by a loss of bone tissue that is not limited to the joint areas. It is possible for one person to have both osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The differences in the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis include; pain, stiffness, and joint swelling, joint deformity, crackle sounds when the joint is moving, and walking with a limp. Osteoporosis is called the "silent disease" because it can progress for years without signs and symptoms before it is diagnosed, severe back pain, bone fractures, height loss, and difficulty or inability to walk. The differences in the causes of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are that osteoarthritis usually is caused by wear and tear on the joints. Osteoporosis usually is caused by one or more underlying problems, for example, calcium and vitamin D deficiencies. Treatment for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are not the same. There is no cure for osteoarthritis or osteoporosis.
What Are the Four Stages of Osteoarthritis?
The four stages of osteoarthritis (OA) have been graded on the basis of X-ray findings. Higher grades indicate more severe signs of OA and the need for surgery. Grade 0 is the stage when the joint is healthy, Grade 1 is doubtful narrowing of the joint space with possible bone spurs, Grade 2 is the definite bone spurs with possible reduced joint space, Grade 3 is definite moderate joint space narrowing (at least 50%), and Grade 4 is the most severe stage.
What Does Boron Do for the Body?
Boron is a trace mineral found in many foods and in the environment. It is also available as a dietary supplement. Boron has an effect on brain function, hormone and enzyme function, bone formation, energy metabolism, immune function and other systems in the body.
What Does Stinging Nettle Do to the Body?
Stinging nettle is an herb that is also called common nettle (scientific name: Urtica dioica). Stinging nettle has been a part of herbal medicine for a long time. Stinging nettle is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, diabetes, hay fever, benign prostatic hyperplasia and water retention.
What Is Bromelain Good For?
Bromelain is a naturally occurring substance derived from the fruit, juice and stems of pineapples. Bromelain may be good for digestion, removing dead skin cells from burns and reducing inflammation, swelling, muscle soreness, pain and nasal congestion.
What Is the Function of Cartilage?
Cartilage is a connective tissue type (one of 6 major types) that is an essential part of many of the structures in the body. Cartilage is stiffer and less flexible than muscle, but not as rigid or hard as bone.
Which Foods Make Arthritis Worse?
Foods that may worsen arthritis include processed foods, salt, red meat, and alcohol. Check out the center below for more medical references on arthritis, including multimedia (slideshows, images, and quizzes), related disease conditions, treatment and diagnosis, medications, and prevention or wellness.