Resource Center: Osteoarthritis

Arthritis/Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease. It is a progressive disorder made worse over time as cartilage is lost and bony spurs and cysts develop on the joints. It is one of the most common disabilities, especially in people over 50. While only five per cent of the US population has the problem, over 30 per cent of those over the age of 45 suffer from arthritis/osteoarthritis. It usually appears at the age of 40 and gets increasingly worse as the person ages.

Finding out you have osteoarthritis can be a life-changing event. Everyone assumes that it comes naturally with age, but when they begin to experience it and how it puts such constraints on their lives they can get discouraged. The fact that there is no cure for the disease makes the scenario look even bleaker. Even so, there are osteoarthritis treatments available to treat the condition that may at least make you feel better and can even make the degenerative process go slower. You may even find that you can reverse some of the damage done.

Knowing osteoarthritis symptoms is crucial to figuring out whether or not you have the disease. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which means that it gets worse over time. It is the result of the unnatural wearing down of the cartilage that acts as a cushion between the joints. Without this cartilage, the bones will rub up against each other creating inflammation. This causes a great deal of pain to the person suffering from the disease when the afflicted joints are weight bearing joints, especially during walking or standing.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage in the joints progressively degenerates to the point where it essentially disappears. Because cartilage acts as padding between the bones that form joints, once it is gone, soreness, swelling, stiffness and general discomfort occurs in the area.