Osteoarthritis Information

As many as 36 million people in the United States have some form of arthritis or joint inflammation. It is a major cause of work time loss and motor disability. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis with its typical targets being your hands, hips, knees, feet and spine. Sometimes, it will attack your knuckles, wrists, elbows and shoulders. While it does not cause your joints to become deformed as rheumatoid arthritis does, the impact that osteoarthritis can have on daily functioning is enormous.

Osteoarthritis affects cartilage, causing it to fray, wear, and in extreme cases, to disappear entirely, leaving a bone-to-bone joint. The result - excruciating pain! By age 65, approximately 75 percent of the population has x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in the hand, foot, knee and/or hip. Symptoms include body stiffness, joint pain, pain during damp weather, pain in the morning, or pain after heavy exercise.

Osteoarthritis is not primarily an inflammation at all, but more of a degradation (a wearing down if you will) of a joint. It occurs in women around and after menopause, in men during and after middle age, and in athletes or others who have had trauma to a joint. This form is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD).

When Does Osteoarthritis Begin with Most People?

By age 65 as many as seventy five percent of the population has some x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis.

What are the Early Signs of Osteoarthritis?

• Steady or intermittent pain in a joint
• Stiffness after getting out of bed
• Joint swelling or tenderness in one or more joints
• A crunching felling or sound of bone rubbing on bone
• Constant joint pain during normal activities

Where Does Osteoarthritis Occur?

It can occur in any joint, although it’s most often found in the hands, hips, knees, or spine. The truth however, there are some 143 joints in the human body. With few exceptions, any of them may be subject to osteoarthritis.

What Is The Treatment For Osteoarthritis?

The medications used by conventional medicine are called NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a class of drugs which includes Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve, Naproxen, Advil, and a host of other name brand and generic painkillers. Keep in mind, since these are anti-inflammatory, they attempt to suppress inflammation around the joints, thus relieving pain. However, since the main problem is wearing away of tissue, they do not address the root cause of the problem. In fact, NSAIDs are actually known to slow down cartilage growth and repair, which is exactly why natural treatments (exercise, weight loss etc.) and the use of dietary supplements like liquid glucosamine are much, much more helpful in promoting joint h ealth instead of breaking it down. Unfortunately, some $8 Billion (B, as in BILLION) dollars a year are still being spent on the production of NSAIDs, so it is not exactly in the interest of large pharmaceutical companies to discontinue the use or recommendation of these drugs. Fortunately, you as an educated consumer know better.

In extreme cases of osteoarthritis, surgery may be the only option to alleviate pain and suffering in joints that are too far degenerated. They are often expensive, costing $40,000 or more and carries with it substantial risks. Prevention is always thousands of times cheaper than dealing with the resulting problem. In addition, joint replacements themselves need to be replaced in a few years, as they themselves wear out as well!

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