Osteoarthritis: Signs, Symptoms, and Effective Treatments

Osteoarthritis is a familiar condition, especially among older adults. This disease causes persistent joint pain, restricts movement, and significantly impacts quality of life.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a condition where the cartilage—responsible for cushioning and reducing friction in joints—wears down and loses its structure. Additionally, surrounding tissues may become damaged, and the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint diminishes, making movement more difficult.

Joint degeneration is the most common form of joint damage and can affect various individuals. In Vietnam, statistics show that about 30% of people over 35 experience osteoarthritis. This rate rises to 60% for those over 65 and 85% for those over 85.

Causes of Osteoarthritis

Joint degeneration can result from multiple factors, including:

Age

Osteoarthritis is closely linked to aging. As age increases, the natural aging process intensifies, weakening the skeletal system and leading to instability. Over time, cartilage wears thin, cracks, or even disappears, causing bones to rub against each other and resulting in pain.

Injury

Joint injuries from overexertion in sports, accidents, or trauma accelerate the de-generation process. Learn more about preventing sports injuries for reference.

Obesity

Excess weight places significant pressure on joints, particularly the knees and lower spine. Prolonged stress can damage and degenerate these joints.

Heavy Physical Activities

Repetitive or excessive use of joints during strenuous physical work heightens the risk of cartilage degeneration.

Genetics

Osteoarthritis can be hereditary. Individuals with a family history of the condition are at a higher risk than others.

Other Factors:

• Wrong posture during activities like sitting, lying, or bending; frequent heavy lifting; prolonged sitting or standing with little movement.
• An unbalanced diet lacking essential nutrients, particularly calcium, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
• Coexisting conditions such as osteoporosis, joint infections, rheumatoid arthritis, or congenital joint deformities, which increase degeneration rates.
• Congenital joint defects

Signs and Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Joint Pain

In mild stages, joints may experience dull pain during or after movement, which subsides quickly, often leading to oversight. Over time, as cartilage damage worsens, pain intensifies and persists, especially during sudden cold weather changes.

Joint Stiffness

Stiffness, often accompanied by pain, typically occurs in the morning upon waking or after periods of inactivity.

Limited Mobility

Osteoarthritis restricts daily activities, making tasks like standing, sitting, climbing stairs, squatting, or bending the knee more challenging.

Swelling and Warmth in Joints

Inflamed joints may feel warm during movement. You might also hear creaking or popping sounds (“crackling”) due to bone-on-bone friction from worn cartilage.

Diagnostic Methods

Common diagnostic approaches include:

Physical Examination

Doctors examine joints for signs of swelling, pain, redness, warmth, or movement difficulties while reviewing the patient’s medical history.

Imaging Tests

• X-rays: Detect bone spurs, cartilage loss, and joint space narrowing.
• Ultrasound: Assess joint fluid buildup and cartilage fragments.
• MRI: Provides detailed joint images to identify cartilage damage.
• Joint Arthroscopy: Allows direct visualization of cartilage damage.
• Joint Fluid Analysis: A small fluid sample is tested to detect related conditions.
• Blood and Urine Tests: Help identify the type of arthritis or rule out other causes of pain and stiffness.

Treatment Options for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition causing pain and stiffness, greatly affecting quality of life. Patients should consult a doctor early for tailored treatment plans, such as:

Medications

• Pain Relievers and Anti-Inflammatories: Drugs like ibuprofen, naproxen, or acetaminophen reduce pain and inflammation.
• Muscle Relaxants: Ease muscle spasms around affected joints.
• Corticosteroid Injections: Provide short-term relief from inflammation and pain.

Physical Therapy

• Muscle-Strengthening Exercises: Support and protect joints.
• Stretching and Flexibility Training: Maintain or improve joint range of motion.
• Assistive Devices: Braces or canes reduce joint pressure.

Surgery

Joint replacement surgery replaces damaged joints with artificial ones, offering an effective solution for severe pain and loss of function unresponsive to conservative treatments. Common procedures include:

• Joint Replacement: Substitutes degenerated joints with prosthetics.
• Orthopedic Surgery: Repairs or reconstructs joint structures.

If untreated, osteoarthritis can lead to serious complications like increased gout risk, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, cartilage calcification, or bone necrosis. If joint pain recurs frequently, persists, or lasts for days, seek medical evaluation and treatment promptly for optimal outcomes.