Osteoarthritis - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment - Back to health review summary

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative arthritis) is a chronic disease involving the degradation of the joints and surrounding cartilage.

There are three main characteristics:

• it causes damage to cartilage - the strong, smooth surface that lines the bones and allows joints to move easily and without friction,
• it results in bony growths developing around the edge of the joints, and
• it causes mild inflammation of the tissues around the joints.

What are the symptoms?

The onset is gradual and most often affects weight bearing joints such as the hips and knees although it can plague almost any joints.

Pain is the main symptom, which usually worsens with exercise and is relieved by rest. Morning stiffness is also common but diminishes with movement. As the disease progresses, joint mobility can be lost, and tenderness as well as grating sensations may develop. Osteoarthritis of the spine may lead to shooting pains down the arms or legs.

Who develops the disease?

Osteoarthritis usually develops in people who are over 50 years of age, and it is more common in women than in men. It is commonly thought that osteoarthritis is an inevitable part of getting older, but this is not true.
Younger people can also be affected by osteoarthritis, often as a result of an injury or another joint condition.

Did you know?

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK, with an estimated 8.5 million people affected by the condition.

Contributing factors

It is thought that there are probably several factors that contribute to the development of osteoarthritis:

Joint injury or disease

Osteoarthritis can develop in a joint that has been damaged by an injury, or operation. Overusing your joint when it is has not had enough time to heal, can also contribute to osteoarthritis in later life.

Genes

In some cases, osteoarthritis may be passed on from one member of a family to another. It is estimated that 40-60% of cases of hand, knee, and hip osteoarthritis may have a genetic link, although the genes that carry the condition are not yet known.

Obesity

Being obese puts excess strain on joints, particularly those that bear the most weight, such as the knees and hips. As a result, osteoarthritis can often be worse in those who are significantly overweight.

Did you know?

"Osteoarthritis" is derived from the Greek words "osteo", meaning "of the bone", "arthro", meaning "joint", and "itis", meaning
inflammation.

Living with Osteoarthritis

Whilst there is no cure for Osteoarthritis, there are many ways in which the pain and other symptoms can be relieved.

Lifestyle changes

Weight control - Maintaining a healthy weight can limit the strain on the joints.

Assistive devices - Walking aids such as a stick or cane can help also reduce the pressure on painful joints as well as providing support for balance.

Shock absorbing footwear - Shoes and insoles to absorb the impact of walking on the joints are often recommended. At Tower Health we stock our own cut-to-fit shock absorbing insoles. High heels should also be avoided as they cause unnecessary joint strain.

Exercise - Regular low impact activities such as swimming and walking help reduce stiffness and relieve pain. Exercise is also good for relieving stress, losing weight, and improving your posture, all of which will ease symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Pace yourself - Whilst keeping active is very important, be sure to take time to relax and try to space out physically hard jobs throughout the day as opposed to doing everything all at once.

Supplements

A number of supplements are available for treating osteoarthritis. Two of the most common for osteoarthritis are chondroitin and glucosamine. The reason behind their use is that joint cartilage normally contains glucosamine and chondroitin compounds and taking supplements of these natural ingredients may help improve the health of damaged osteoarthritic cartilage.

Studies on both have suggested that the supplements can reduce symptoms and slow down the degredation of the joints.

Tower Health’s Nutriplex joint supplement also contains MSM to reduce pain and collagen improve joint flexibility and strength.

Topical creams

There are a number of creams available to apply to painful joints with various effects.

NSAID creams (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are often prescribed and can be effective in relieving pain but over time cause stomach problems.

Gluco Aktiv is a natural gel containing glucosamine as well as eucalyptus, wintergreen, camphor and rosemary to help eliminate joint stiffness and prolong pain relief.

Boswellia has anti-inflammatory properties found to be as effective as the frequently prescribed antiinflammatory drug valdecoxib (Bextra). In addition, while the improvements occurred more slowly in the boswellia group than in the valdecoxib group, they persisted for a longer period of time after treatment ended. Unlike NSAIDs, however, long-term use of boswellia does not lead to irritation or ulceration of the stomach.

TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a treatment method that typically involves small electrical pads (electrodes) being applied to the skin over the affected joint, which deliver small pulses of electricity from the TENS machine to naturally relieve pain.

Tower Health’s PainGone device works on the principles of TENS offer effective drug-free pain relief.

Thermotherapy

Thermotherapy is a form of treatment that can be used for osteoarthritis. It uses warm and cold temperatures to help ease the pain and stiffness in your joints. A hot water bottle filled with either hot or cold water and applied to the affected area can be very effective in helping to reduce pain. Special hot and cold packs that can either be cooled in the freezer, or heated in a microwave oven, are also available, and work in a similar way.

Tower Health's pain and mobility range offers a microwaveable heat pack and warming joint supports.

The future

We do not yet completely understand the causes of osteoarthritis nor do we have the cure. However, recent research is uncovering the mechanisms which lead to joint damage as well as the factors which control the healing response.

Doctors and researchers have changed their attitude a great deal in recent years. They now see real possibilities of understanding and controlling osteoarthritis in the future. Osteoarthritis is no longer seen as an inevitable part of ageing or a 'wear and tear' disease, but more as a major challenge and an important problem they can solve.

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