Osteoarthritis is one of the diagnoses I see most of in the Physical Therapy clinic. In fact, it is the most common form of arthritis and a common cause of pain as we get older. It is also easily treated without medications.
What is it?
Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joint breaks down and the bone of the joint then begins to change. You may have heard of it being referred to as bone on bone. Patients will also describe it as “wear and tear” on their body.
This type of arthritis occurs most commonly in the knees, hands, and hips. I also frequently see it in the spine.
The usual symptoms are pain, swelling in the joints, and reduced range of motion in the joint.
Who gets it?
Osteoarthritis is most common in people over the age of 50 and even happens more often in women. Those with high impact or must complete repetitive tasks for work also have a higher risk of it.
The truth is most people will get osteoarthritis as they get older but not everyone will have pain. Pain is not a side effect of aging. Pain means there is something wrong! Please do not let anyone ever tell you that you will just have to live with the pain.
Other risk factors for osteoarthritis are obesity and genetics. Being overweight can put even more stress on the joints and increase the likelihood of the breakdown. If you have family members with arthritis, you are at a high risk to develop it as well.
Osteoarthritis can only be definitively diagnosed with x-rays or other blood tests, but it is most likely the culprit when a patient comes in to see me and they did not have a known cause for the pain.
Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Most of us have heard of others taking pain medications whether over the counter or prescription for arthritis pain, and other treatments include losing weight and even surgery (think joint replacement surgeries).
But one treatment most people do not know is Physical Activity. Something a professor would say all the time in PT school was “motion is lotion”. Lubricate your joints with movement.
Movement and physical activity are great but can be hard to navigate. Here is where a physical therapist comes in! The right types of exercise can help you decrease pain from osteoarthritis.
As a PT, we can assess the joint as well as the surrounding muscles and determine what exercises are a great starting for you. Also incorporating walking, biking, or swimming will help get the joints moving without too much pressure on them.
Check out my posts on upper and lower body exercises for a good start.
Please do not just live with or let someone you know live with OA because they think they must. Get active to stop or prevent arthritis pain!