Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OS-tee-oh-are-THRY-tis) (OA) is among the oldest and most common types of arthritis. Known as the “wear-and-tear” type of arthritis, OA is a chronic condition seen as a the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. Cartilage may be the part of the joint that cushions the ends from the bones and allows easy movement of joints. The introduction to cartilage causes the bones to rub against one another, causing stiffness, pain and loss of motion in the joint.

Osteoarthritis is famous by many different names, including degenerative osteo-arthritis, ostoarthrosis, hypertrophic arthritis and degenerative arthritis. Your physician might choose to use one of these simple terms to better describe what's happening in your body, but for our purposes, we'll refer to all of these as osteoarthritis.

It's thought that osteoarthritis goes back to ancient humans. Proof of osteoarthritis has been found in ice-aged skeletons. Today, approximately 27 million Americans accept OA. Despite the longevity and frequency from the disease, the cause continues to be not completely known and there's no cure. In fact, a variety of factors may play a role in whether you get OA, including age, obesity, injury or overuse and genetics. Your OA might be caused by any one or with a combination of any of these factors.

There are many stages of osteoarthritis:
Cartilage loses elasticity and it is more easily damaged by injury or use.
Wear of cartilage causes changes to underlying bone. The bone thickens and cysts may occur underneath the cartilage. Bony growths, called spurs or osteophytes, develop close to the end of the bone in the affected joint.
Items of bone or cartilage float loosely within the joint space.
The joint lining, or even the synovium, becomes inflamed because of cartilage breakdown causing cytokines (inflammation proteins) and enzymes that damage cartilage further.
Alterations in the cartilage and bones from the joint can lead to pain, stiffness and employ limitations. Deterioration of cartilage can:
Modify the shape and makeup from the joint so it doesn’t function smoothly. Substandard that you limp whenever you walk or have trouble rising and down stairs.
Cause fragments of bone and cartilage to drift in joint fluid causing irritation and pain.
Cause bony spurs, called osteophytes, to build up near the ends of bones
Mean the joint fluid doesn’t have sufficient hyaluronan, which affects the joint’s capability to absorb shock.

Causes of Osteoarthritis 
Osteoarthritis takes place when the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones inside your joints deteriorates with time. Cartilage is a firm, slippery tissue that enables nearly frictionless joint motion. In osteoarthritis, the slick top of the cartilage becomes rough. Eventually, when the cartilage wears down completely, you might be left with bone rubbing on bone.
• Older age. The chance of osteoarthritis increases as we grow older.
• Sex. Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, although it isn't clear why.
• Bone deformities. Many people are born with malformed joints or defective cartilage, which could increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
• Joint injuries. Injuries, for example those that occur when playing sports or from any sort of accident, may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
• Obesity. Carrying more body weight places more force on your weight-bearing joints, for example your knees.
• Sedentary lifestyle. Cartilage depends upon joint use for its nutrition.
• Certain occupations. In case your job includes tasks that place repetitive force on a particular joint, that could predispose that joint toward eventually developing osteoarthritis.
• Other diseases. Being diabetic, underactive thyroid, gout or Paget's disease of bone can improve your risk of developing osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis 
Symptoms can include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and often an effusion. A variety of causes-hereditary, developmental, metabolic, and mechanical-may initiate processes resulting in loss of cartilage. When bone surfaces dwindle well protected by cartilage, bone might be exposed and damaged. Due to decreased movement secondary to pain, regional muscles may atrophy, and ligaments can become more lax.
Osteoarthritis symptoms often develop slowly and worsen with time. Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:
• Pain. Your joint may hurt during or after movement.
• Tenderness. Your joint may go through tender when you apply light pressure into it.
• Stiffness. Joint stiffness might be most noticeable whenever you wake up in the morning or over time of inactivity.
• Loss of flexibility. You might not be able to move your joint through its full-range of motion.
• Grating sensation. You might hear or feel a grating sensation if you use the joint.
• Bone spurs. These extra items of bone, which seem like hard lumps, may form round the affected joint.
Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis 
Diagnosis is made from reasonable certainty according to history and clinical examination. X-rays may read the diagnosis. The typical changes seen on X-ray include:
 Joint space narrowing
 Subchondral cyst formation
 subchondral sclerosis (increased bony formation round the joint)
 osteophytes
 Plain films might not correlate with the findings on physical examination or using the degree of pain
Usually other imaging techniques aren't necessary to clinically diagnose osteoarthritis.