What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a disease that many talk about but few know what it actually is. rnOsteoarthritis (OA) is not a single disease but is a combination of a variety of different disorders leading to the structural or functional failure of one or more of the human body’s joints. Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of chronic joint pain and affects millions of Indians every year. This disease engulfs the entire joint, including the nearby muscles, underlying bone, ligaments, joint lining (synovium), and the joint cover (capsule). Osteoarthritis also involves progressive loss of cartilage. Joint cartilage is a layer of tissue present at the joint surfaces that sustains joint loading and allows motion. It is gel-like, porous, and elastic. Normal cartilage provides a durable, low-friction, load-bearing surface for joints. Osteoarthritis has several phases. The stationary phase of this disease progression involves the formation of osteophytes, which are bony outgrowths or lumps, especially at the joint margins, as well as narrowing of the space between joints. Osteoarthritis progresses further with obliteration of the joint space. The appearance of subchondral cysts (cysts in the bone underneath the cartilage) indicates the erosive phase of disease progression and the last phase involves bone repair and remodeling. There are a number of symptoms that indicate that one might have osteoarthritis such as aching pain, stiffness, or difficulty moving the joint may develop in one or more joints. The pain may get worse with overuse and may occur at night. With progression of this arthritis, the pain can occur even while resting. Another common symptom is the enlargement of bones in the fingertips. They are usually not painful in come cases while in others they can develop suddenly and are painful, and cause the finger tips to become swollen and red. This usually occurs in women who are above the age of 45 years. Another typical joint that gets affected is at the base of the thumb. This can lead to difficulty gripping and turning keys and opening jars. The hips are major weight-bearing joints. Farmers, construction workers, and firefighters have been found to have an increased incidence of hip osteoarthritis. Repetitive squatting and kneeling may aggravate osteoarthritis. Researchers think that a heavy physical workload contributes to OA of the hip and knee. Osteoarthritis of the spine can cause bone spurs or Osteophytes, which can pinch or crowd nerves and cause pain and potentially weakness in the arms or legs. Osteoarthritis affecting the low back can lead to chronic low back pain (lumbago). In fact, incidence of OA in shoulder, neck and lower back regions is quite prevalent among the corporate professionals, who spend considerable amount of time in front of their computers. Many health supplements are now available in the market that caters to this disease. They have all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals that our body requires to fight this disease and keep it at bay. Supplements like Osteo Procontain nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, copper and fish oil, which have been shown to benefit those suffering from osteoarthritis.