Osteoarthritis what is it

The allowance covers any extra costs or expenses students have because of a disability. For more information, visit the Disability Rights UK website. Information is available on the National Rail website about station accessibility, train and station facilities, and assistance options.

Transport for London offers similar information on their website and has produced a guide to avoiding stairs on the London Tube network. Other local authorities and transport providers produce similar guides to accessible bus, train and minicab services, and some run their own transport schemes. The emotional effects of arthritis can have just as much impact as the physical symptoms. Severe or long-term pain that affects your daily life and possibly disturbs your sleep can affect your mood. From time to time, your arthritis may get on top of you.

You can also call our helpline on , who will listen and offer emotional support. The changes in cartilage that occur with osteoarthritis can encourage crystals to form within the joint. These may be:. Research is helping us to understand more about the causes of osteoarthritis, and to develop new treatments. It was worse when I woke up in the morning. The pain when I walked upstairs was excruciating.

And with my hands it was terrible. I would struggle to do things like open doors, tie my laces or put the top on a bottle of water. My doctor did blood tests and I was then referred to the rheumatology department at the hospital. The rheumatologist told me it was osteoarthritis. I joined the gym in the March of It was obvious then that there were only certain things that I could go on, but I did a Pilates class once a week and that was good for flexibility.

You can then walk a bit further over the course of a few days or weeks. After three weeks with Shane, I could already walk upstairs without any pain. Once I got started, I became curious about how much I could do. It can be a vicious circle; if I seize up, I find it harder to start exercising again! As well as becoming more active, I decided to take a good look at what I was eating. I started eating only good food and got rid of all the rubbish.

I feel so much better. Set yourself realistic targets and just keep pushing yourself a little bit more. You can read more of our supporter stories on our Your stories page. Osteoarthritis OA. Download osteoarthritis information booklet.

Print this page. What is osteoarthritis? Watch our video about what osteoarthritis is. For example: Extra bone may form at the edge of the joint. These bony growths are called osteophytes and can sometimes restrict movement or rub against other tissues.

In some joints, especially the finger joints, these may be visible as firm, knobbly swellings. The lining of the joint capsule called the synovium may thicken and produce more fluid than normal, causing the joint to swell. Tissues that surround the joint and help to support it may stretch so that after a time the joint becomes less stable. Related information. The affected joint may sometimes be swollen. The swelling may be: hard and knobbly, especially in the finger joints, caused by the growth of extra bone soft, caused by thickening of the joint lining and extra fluid inside the joint capsule.

How will osteoarthritis affect me? Which joints are affected? What tests are there for osteoarthritis? Managing symptoms. These include: lifestyle changes pain relief medications physical therapies supplements and complementary treatments. Physical activity Weight loss and diet Medications Other pain relief treatments Complementary medicine for osteoarthritis Surgery. Physical activity. There are three types of exercise you should try to include: Range of movement exercises These exercises involve taking joints through a range of movement that feels comfortable and then smoothly and gently easing them just a little bit further.

Strengthening exercises These are exercises performed against some form of resistance to strengthen the muscles that move and support your joints. Aerobic exercise This means any physical activity that raises your heart rate and gets you breathing more heavily. Weight loss and diet. They include:. Your doctor may recommend you try OTC solutions as a first line of defense. Learn more about the OTC and prescription options for osteoarthritis.

Alternative treatments and supplements may help to relieve symptoms such as inflammation and joint pain. Some supplements or herbs that may help include:. Shop for fish oil. Shop for green tea. Other remedies can range from taking Epsom salt baths to using hot or cold compresses. Interested in more natural home remedies for OA? Also, the antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables may also help combat the free radicals produced by inflammation.

Free radicals are molecules that can cause cell damage. A high-quality diet may help provide relief from OA symptoms by reducing inflammation and swelling. Eating foods high in the following can be highly beneficial:. Increasing your intake of foods with anti-inflammatory properties will help, too. Check out more reasons and ways to eat well while living with OA. Osteoarthritis can affect one or several areas of your hands.

These areas often include the tips of the fingers, the middle knuckle of each finger, the joint connecting the thumb and the wrist, and the wrist itself. The joints that are affected largely determine the symptoms that occur. These symptoms often include:. Women are more prone to OA in the hand than men, and usually get it at a younger age. Hand OA can have a big impact on your ability to do the tasks associated with day-to-day living.

However, treatments ranging from lifestyle changes to surgery can help. Read more about OA in the hands and how to treat it. OA can occur in one or both hips. In this way it differs from RA, which usually occurs in both hips at the same time. Hip OA is a slowly degenerative condition.

Supports, such as canes, can also help. If the condition worsens, steroid injections, other medications, or surgery can help provide relief. Alternative therapies can also help, and new technologies are on the horizon. Like hip OA, knee OA can occur in one or both knees. Age, genetics, and knee injury may all play a role in knee OA. Athletes who concentrate solely on one sport that creates extensive, repetitive motion, such as running or tennis, may be at increased risk of OA. Likewise, if you pursue only one type of physical activity, this may overuse some muscles and underuse others, causing weakness and instability in the knee joint.

Varying your activities helps to work different muscle groups, allowing all the muscles around your knee to be strengthened. Treatment for knee OA depends on the stage of the condition.

Learn about the stages of OA in the knee and how each one is treated. Wearing a brace around your knee can be an excellent nonsurgical treatment for knee OA. Braces can reduce swelling and pressure. They can also increase stability in your knee by shifting your weight away from the damaged part of your knee.

This allows for greater mobility. There are several types of knee braces. If you work at a desk, make sure your chair is at the correct height, and take regular breaks to move around. Find out more about common posture mistakes and fixes. Being overweight or obese increases the strain on your joints and your risk of developing osteoarthritis. If you're overweight, losing weight may help lower your chances of developing the condition. Use the healthy weight calculator to find out whether you're overweight or obese.

Find out more more about losing weight. Page last reviewed: 19 August Next review due: 19 August Symptoms of osteoarthritis The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are joint pain and stiffness, and problems moving the joint. Some people also have symptoms such as: - swelling - tenderness - grating or crackling sound when moving the affected joints The severity of osteoarthritis symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, and between different affected joints.

Causes of osteoarthritis As part of normal life, your joints are exposed to a constant low level of damage. The exact cause is not known, but several things are thought to increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis, including: joint injury — overusing your joint when it has not had enough time to heal after an injury or operation other conditions secondary arthritis — osteoarthritis can happen in joints severely damaged by a previous or existing condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout age — your risk of developing the condition increases as you get older.

Diagnosing osteoarthritis To help determine whether you have osteoarthritis, a GP will first ask you about your symptoms and examine your joints. A GP may suspect osteoarthritis if: you're aged 45 or older you have joint pain that gets worse the more you use your joints the stiffness in your joints is not there in the mornings, or lasts less than 30 minutes If your symptoms are slightly different, this may indicate another joint condition.

Treating osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a long-term condition and cannot be cured, but it doesn't necessarily get any worse over time and it can sometimes gradually improve. Treating osteoarthritis requires a team effort involving you and several types of health care professionals. These may include:. Basics In-Depth. What is it? Points To Remember About Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a joint disease in which the tissues in the joint break down over time.

Common symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, as well as changes in how the joint moves and feeling like the joint is loose or unstable. Treatment of osteoarthritis usually includes exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, wearing braces to help with stability, and taking medications, if prescribed.

You can do many things to help you live with osteoarthritis, including using hot and cold therapies, avoiding repeated movements, and taking a class to help you learn about the condition. What is osteoarthritis? The most commonly affected joints include the: Hands ends of the fingers and at the base and ends of the thumbs. Lower back. Who gets it? Who gets osteoarthritis? What are the symptoms? What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis? The common symptoms of osteoarthritis include: Pain when using the joint, which may get better with rest.

For some people, in the later stages of the disease, the pain may be worse at night. Joint stiffness, usually lasting less than 30 minutes, in the morning or after resting for a period of time.

Swelling in and around the joint, especially after you use the area a lot. Changes in the ability to move the joint. Feeling that the joint is loose or unstable. As your symptoms get worse over time, some activities may be difficult to do, such as: Stepping up. Getting on or off the toilet or in and out of a chair. Gripping a pan. Walking across a parking lot.