How arthritis affects the joints
Written by:Osteoarthritis currently affects about seven million people in Spain, and that is one of the most common chronic diseases in our country. The number of diagnosed cases is on an upward trend due to increasing life expectancy of the population. The role of trauma is essential to make life easier for the patient to this condition that causes pain and joint deformity.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects the cartilage. Cartilage is an intrinsic substance in the body that covers the bone surfaces in joints or "hinges" of our body. Thus, it acts as a protective membrane and damping constant movements your bones and joints.
It is a multifactorial disease, that is, which is given by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, and in most cases depends on the patient's age and his personal or family history among others related to wear of cartilage and therefore the smooth surface that allows full mobility of joints.
To suffer osteoarthritis, the body does not regenerate cartilage and below these ulcers or areas of wear emerges the bone, in the absence of the buffering substance, its friction with the other bone causes pain and progressive joint deformity. With the course of the disease can even limit the patient's mobility.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis
The clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis include pain often leading to painful limitation of joint mobility and joint deformity. Often, to complete the study and get an accurate diagnosis can be performed additional tests of diagnostic imaging as X-rays, ultrasounds or tac among others.
Treatment for osteoarthritis
Today there is no treatment or cure for osteoarthritis, which remains to date a chronic disease. As viable alternatives can be trained to strengthen the muscles and thus download the joint, you can also follow a routine food supplements for the joint fluid protects and nurtures more cartilage wear and thus curb. Infiltrations are also a very effective option against this pain; and as a last resort you can resort to surgical interventions, intended to replace or fix damaged that joint to joint pain subsides.
