Osteoarthritis

It all depends on how serious the problem turns out to be. as the cartilage wears the bones of the joints come closer together or in time spurs may form which are a build up of bone where bone is wearing onto bone. that which shows up on xrays is the result of the damage done by arthritis. For example I have Rheumatoid arthritis and it took about 3 years from the time that I did not have a problem with my right elbow to the time I had to have it totally replaced. However I Have many other parts that still seem to be working fine.

Osteoarthritis can cause the breakdown of cartilage between facet joints. This causes pain as well as loss of motion and stiffness.

The facet joints are in the back portion or posterior of the spine. They combine with the disc space to create a three joint complex at each vertebral level. These joints consist of two opposing bony surfaces that should have cartilage between them and a capsule around it that produces fluid.

The cartilage and the fluid combine to allow the joint to move with little friction. However, with facet joint arthritis, the cartilage breaks down causing more friction with joint movement. This leads to a loss of motion stiffness and back pain.

Your doctor is the best person to determine the best analgesic for your arthritis discomfort. That being said . . .

Paracetemol is, of course, another name for acetaminophen (Tylenol). It is perfectly safe as long as the person taking it is not a regular or heavy drinker - it should not be used in such a situation, as severe liver damage can occur. But more to the point, if the sufferer with arthritisactually gets good relief from the paracemetol, they are very lucky - it usually does not work all that well for arthritis pain in adults. It does for some, yes - but not for the majority.

Osteoarthritis is a "degenerative" condition. It comes from use or misuse of the joint. It can also be post traumatic. The type of arthritis you are born with is JRA or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; although it still affects the joints, it is a very different type of disease.

The fact is that there does seem to be a genetic factor involved in degenerative or Osteoarthritis. Often people from the same family develop the symptoms of OA because they were born with the genes that predisposed them to it. while others that are not can put their joints through the same punishment without ill effect.

No that is more in the realm of Rheumatoid arthritis. If you are getting nodules you must be having a pretty serious flare, You should seek advice to get it under control as quickly as possible.

Osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease, (wear and tear, joint trauma etc) is relatively unusual in people under 45, however before that age it will occur more frequently in men. After age 45, it develops more often in women. Some research suggests that women may also experience greater muscle and joint pain, in general, than men. The exact cause fro arthritis is still not known, However the fact that men tend to have a problem with this disease at an earlier age may lay in the fact that their life styles sporting activity's and work practices often tend to put more strain on joints.

That would depend upon how serious the osteoarthritis is and where it is. generally however exercise is seen as a good way to keep the disease under some sort of control. However the amount and type of exercise may need to be taken under the advice of a doctor or physio specialist

Chondroitin is not recommended for children. It is used for treatment of osteoarthritis (a condition that normally affects adults). Its safety for children has not been tested.

400 mg three times a day or 600 mg two times a day, taken by mouth.

Osteoarthritis (OA) Also known as degenerative arthritis and non inflammatory arthritis is one of the more common types of arthritis. Affecting cartilage and bone in the joints. Cartilage cushions the ends of bones and serves as a surface that that provides very little friction where the bones meet to form a joint. In OA, this cartilage breaks down.

AO is most likely to occur in the fingers, weight-bearing joints, such as the knees, feet, hips and back.

OA seems to be caused by changes within the cells of the cartilage leading to a loss of elasticity. This can lead to the thinning and breakdown of the cartilage at time leaving the ends of the bone unprotected and without the low friction required for painless smooth movement in the joints at affected.

OA effects both sexes equally usually develop between the ages of 45 to 90 years. Most people develop some OA with increasing age. Men and women are affected equally. OA may also develop in joints that have been injured.

OA progresses slowly and will have little or no impact on most people. OA rarely causes severe disability However when it does replacement joint surgery has proved to be very effective. Symptom includes Pain and stiffness in the joint and Swelling.

is a group of diseases and mechanical abnormalities entailing degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone next to it.

What is osteoarthritis?

It is the most common form of arthritis. It is also known as wear and tear arthritis, degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis. The disease involves perfunctory abnormalities related to joint degradation.

What causes this disease?

It is mainly caused as a result of breaking down of joint-cartilages. Certain metabolic, hereditary or mechanical reasons lead to the loss of cartilages. Some of the factors that lead to primary osteoarthritis are:

• Family history
• Joint injuries
• Excessive stress on the joints
• Recurring use of joints
• Being obese

It is often related to old age but not caused as a result of aging. Degenerative arthritis is also secondary in nature. Secondary OA could result as an outcome of other conditions or diseases like:

• Diabetes
• Joint injuries from accidents
• Obesity
• Joint disorders
• Inflammatory diseases
• Joint infections
• Deterioration of ligaments
• Wilson's disease

How does degenerative arthritis affect the life of the patient?

OA concerns different people in different ways. In few cases, the disease is progressive and serious in nature. Generally, OA affects people in neck, fingers, knees, hips, lower back and thumbs. It results in weakness and pain. However, the disease not only affects its victims physically, it also affects people as far as their lifestyle and monetary matters are concerned.

Financial effects comprise:

• Huge expenses on treatments
• Loss of wages owing to disability

Lifestyle effects could include:

• Job limitations
• Feeling of helplessness
• Depression
• Difficulty in performing daily activities
• Anxiety

The condition frequently targets people who are aged above fifty and women.
Osteoarthritis is another name for degenerative joint disease.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down over time.

Although osteoarthritis can damage any joint in your body, the disorder most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine.

No, a new study shows that this type of treatment is not worth spending your money on.

here is why....

Background Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are used to treat osteoarthritis. The multicenter, double-blind, placebo- and celecoxib-controlled Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT) evaluated their efficacy and safety as a treatment for knee pain from osteoarthritis.

Methods We randomly assigned 1583 patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to receive 1500 mg of glucosamine daily, 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate daily, both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, 200 mg of celecoxib daily, or placebo for 24 weeks. Up to 4000 mg of acetaminophen daily was allowed as rescue analgesia. Assignment was stratified according to the severity of knee pain (mild [N=1229] vs. moderate to severe [N=354]). The primary outcome measure was a 20 percent decrease in knee pain from baseline to week 24.

Results The mean age of the patients was 59 years, and 64 percent were women. Overall, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate were not significantly better than placebo in reducing knee pain by 20 percent. As compared with the rate of response to placebo (60.1 percent), the rate of response to glucosamine was 3.9 percentage points higher (P=0.30), the rate of response to chondroitin sulfate was 5.3 percentage points higher (P=0.17), and the rate of response to combined treatment was 6.5 percentage points higher (P=0.09). The rate of response in the celecoxib control group was 10.0 percentage points higher than that in the placebo control group (P=0.008). For patients with moderate-to-severe pain at baseline, the rate of response was significantly higher with combined therapy than with placebo (79.2 percent vs. 54.3 percent, P=0.002). Adverse events were mild, infrequent, and evenly distributed among the groups.

Conclusions Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone or in combination did not reduce pain effectively in the overall group of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Exploratory analyses suggest that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00032890