Commonly referred to as OA by physicians, osteoarthritis is an extremely painful disease in which the cartilage breaks down. Cartilage is a spongy tissue coating the end of bones in the joints. It plays a vital role in absorbing shocks.

Every time cartilage is damaged, it is constantly repaired; however, in the case of osteoarthritis, there is no balance between repair and degradation of cartilage, because of which the damage occurs. Another area that is hampered is the joints. The joints become creaky and tender, because of which the movement is limited.

Are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis the same?
The similarity between the two is that they both cause harm to the joints; yet, both the diseases are different. The difference lies in the pattern of the joint involvement, the causes, and the kind of treatment that is required to treat the pain in each of these diseases.

When and in which part of the body is a person likely to get osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that may occur when the person touches the age of 65. Almost 10% of people over the age of 65 have had their knees affected by osteoporosis and more than 5% claim that they had hip difficulties.

How can I be at risk of osteoarthritis?

• If you are over the age of 65, it’s the right time to get yourself and your joints tested for osteoarthritis.
• If your consumption of food items rich in Vitamin D is less.
• It is observed that people who have had someone in the family suffering from the condition are prone to develop the disease, too.
• Over a period of time, if you have had knee injuries, there are chances you may develop osteoarthritis. You could also have a likelihood of the disease if your occupation requires a lot of wear and tear of the joints.
• If you are obese and are overweight, your knees take a lot of damage, and diseases like osteoarthritis may happen in the near future.

How can osteoarthritis be treated?
Mainly the treatment has four focus areas:

• Control pain
  The disease delivers acute pain and the treatment is inclusive of medication and therapies that may help in relieving pain, if not putting a complete end to it.

• Maintaining an optimum body weight
  As a core area of treatment, a person may be put to a strict diet regime or asked to do certain exercises to get rid of extra body weight and remove obesity.

• Improvement in function of the joints
  A good joint movement is inclusive of great functionality and effortless motion. The two elements are focused upon through physical treatment.

• Overall lifestyle
  A few tweaks in lifestyle can bring a lot of change in the joints and thereby prove beneficial in curing osteoarthritis .

The treatment may completely alter a person’s lifestyle. It may be inclusive of activities like weight control, exercise, joint care, rest, pain relieving and controlling techniques, medicines, and surgery.