Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Friday, March 20, 2009

What is Osteoarthritis?

By Borgon Trocepticlon

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the skeletal system that occurs with aging. Osteoarthritis usually occurs in the joints wherein the cartilage breaks down causing pain and stiffness. It is a progressive disease and usually manifests symptoms in a later age. It affects both men and women especially those in their middle to late adulthood. However, men usually experience symptoms earlier than women.

People with osteoarthritis often feel joint stiffening accompanied with pain. This occurs when the affected joints swell. The range of motion of the joint affected is also limited and if moved about, causes pain. Humid weather can aggravate the pain experienced by a person with osteoarthritis.

Pain is subjective and therefore differs in every person. It can range from tolerable to unbearable pain. Muscle spasms and contractions often accompany joint pain in osteoarthritis. This pain usually happens for a couple of hours but should not last for one whole day. If the pain is prolonged, prompt medical treatment should be given.

The pains of osteoarthritis can also be in a fluctuating manner. Sometimes, a patient will not feel pain for a couple of days and feels normal. There are also days wherein the pain felt is frequent and this is greatly affected by the change in temperature. Osteoarthritis in different joints can also manifest different kinds of pain and intensity, depending on the location.

Osteoarthritis can be caused by a lot risk factors and the most commonly associated risk factor is age. That is the reason why osteoarthritis is called a degenerative disease. Its onset happens when a person is already in his 40s to 60s. Aside from experiencing pain, osteoarthritis has other symptoms such as the inability to move the joints in their normal range, enlargement of the bones, and osteophytes.

Little is known about osteoarthritis being genetic, but it is a common finding for patients with osteoarthritis to have other family members with the same condition. Experts have found out that this incidence is associated with lifestyle. Therefore necessary lifestyle modifications should be done. An exercise routine every day is very ideal to have an active lifestyle to prevent osteoarthritis.

Doing some serious physical work would be helpful to maintain an active lifestyle. A regular exercise routine is also a good option. However, for people who have lots of extra pounds, a change in diet is also necessary. If you're one of these people who is overweight, a diet modification would be a good way to reduce some pounds. Foods such as fruits and vegetables are the most ideal food replacement for foods rich in cholesterol and preservatives.

Being diagnosed with osteoarthritis is really alarming. People dread the pain that accompanies this condition. If you have a low tolerance for pain, then as early as possible, you should make some changes in your habits and your lifestyle in order to prevent having osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is serious because your daily activities will be disrupted once you are experiencing pain; therefore, prevention is a must. - 17273

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home