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Osteoarthritis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment in Delhi

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that develops at the ends of bones, especially at a joint where two bones meet. The cartilage (protective tissue) is present at the ends of the bones. In Osteoarthritis, the cartilage starts to break down gradually which results in the rubbing of ends of bones and joints together. With time, the cartilage gets lost and the bones keep on rubbing over one another. This results in pain, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in the joints.

Any joint can get osteoarthritis. However, the most impacted body part is:

Knees (weight-bearing joints)
Hips (weight-bearing joints)
Hands
Ankle
Shoulder
Lower Spine

Causes of Osteoarthritis:

There are various factors that can increase your chances of osteoarthritis. Some of the reasons for osteoarthritis are:

Obesity: Obesity increases the chances of osteoarthritis in the knee, hip, and spine regions. More weight adds extra pressure and stress on the joints, as a result, the cartilage starts to break down.
Age: With time the knee and hip joints start experiencing more stress, resulting in Osteoarthritis.
Injury: A fracture or injury in bone, joint, cartilage, or ligament can cause the chances of developing osteoarthritis.
Weak muscles: the muscles surrounding the joints start loosening and don’t provide enough joint support.
Physical work: someone’s occupation that involves kneeling, climbing, lifting heavy weight, or some similar actions has a higher chance of getting osteoarthritis.
Hereditary: Having siblings or parents with the same condition, can be a reason of a cause of osteoarthritis.
Gender Based: women have higher chances of getting osteoarthritis.

Early Symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

Here are some of the symptoms that will let you know about osteoarthritis. Please consult the best orthopedic surgeon near you if you find any of these symptoms. If you are showing any symptoms of Osteoarthritis, contact the best orthopedic surgeon in Delhi.

Experiencing pain in any joint that gets worse with time
Feeling stiff or tired after sitting for long, after exercise, or after waking up in the morning
Swelling at the joints after physical work
Popping, cracking or clicking sound when the moment in the joint occurs with pain
Reduced flexibility
Difficulty in performing day-to-day activities

Also Read:Spinal Tuberculosis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment in Delhi

Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis:

Osteoarthritis is a type of disease that develops slowly and thus it is hard to diagnose in the early stage. After you visit a doctor, they will ask for your medical history and the symptoms or problems you are facing. They can also ask you about medicines you were taking for the problem you are facing and they can also look at your joints, press your joints or move them. After this, he can suggest further tests that help to make the diagnosis. This include:

X-ray: X-rays show images and structures of defective bones and joints.
MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses radio waves to create a more clear and better image of bones and cartilage. MRI is done if required in the later stage of osteoarthritis.
Pathological Lab Test: Patients with arthritis are frequently evaluated with laboratory tests. These could provide information on the type of arthritis a patient has, how well they are responding to treatment, and whether any serious side effects are developing.
Arthrogram: An arthrogram is the latest test technique that helps medical professionals in identifying joint issues including hip or shoulder joint pain. MR arthrograms can also clearly display cartilage, ligament, and tendon problems.

Also Read:Knee Tuberculosis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment of Knee Tuberculosis in Delhi

Treatment of Osteoarthritis:

The extent and location of your symptoms for osteoarthritis will determine the type of treatment that will benefit you the most. Your doctor may suggest you a vast number of different types of treatments to cure your pain. Sometimes, your pain will go away with the help of medications, lifestyle modification, and physiotherapies, but your doctor may suggest you knee replacement surgery if most of your cartilage is damaged in advanced Osteoarthritis. Some treatment methods suggested by your doctor include:

Medicines
Medicines are suggested by the doctor to reduce inflammation, stiffness, and cartilage degeneration. Your doctor may suggest various medicines depending on your problem that will reduce your pain or inflammation and give you some relief. These medications are of different types. Some reduce pain, some reduce swelling and some can work for both.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy helps to strengthen the muscles around the knee. Physiotherapy helps in reducing pain and increases your motion by improving your muscle strength. It can help in the motion of stiff joints and removes the pressure from the injured bones. Get the best physiotherapy treatment near you.
Life Style Modification
Your doctor may suggest you some lifestyle modifications depending on your previous health conditions and the symptoms of your problem. These modifications are of various types such as weight loss, exercises, diet and rest. Some of these lifestyle modifications are-
- Losing Weight: If you are having a lot of body weight (more than your BMI) it will apply a lot of pressure on your knees and hips. Being overweight can lead to Osteoarthritis which is the reason why patients are advised to lose body weight. Losing body weight will help you ease your knee pain, pull off your body weight and help you walk easily without experiencing any knee pain.
- Exercise: An active lifestyle can help you maintain healthy bones and joints. Your doctor may suggest you some daily exercises depending on your pain. Generally, gentle and low-impact exercises are suggested for patients having osteoarthritis. If you start experiencing any joint pain, it’s crucial to cease the exercise and consult your doctor.
- Rest: Sometimes the knee pain emerges suddenly due to standing or walking for long hours. Give your joints a break from your daily life activities and take proper rest. Get enough sleep every day to reduce the perception of pain in your knees.

Dietary Supplements

Your doctor may suggest some foods that contain enriched Vitamin D and Calcium sources that will help in making your bone stronger. Calcium makes the bone stronger and whereas Vitamin D offers protection to your bone from fracture or breaking. Vitamin D can be obtained from direct sunlight or food items such as canned fish, tuna, yogurt, leafy vegetables, etc and Calcium is gained from dairy products, walnut, egg, etc.

Before taking any supplement or food, consider consulting your doctor once. Some doctors also suggest taking supplements of Collagen II protein which helps the body to produce chemicals that fight pain and swelling of the knees. Collagen II is good for cartilage.

Nutrients Required	Sources
Vitamin D	Salmon, Canned tuna, Mushrooms, Egg yolk, Cow Milk, Orange Juice, Sardines, Oats, Enriched bran rice, Cashew, etc.
Calcium	Milk, Cheese, Yoghurt, Spinach, Soybeans, Sardines, Lady-finger, Almonds, Orange, Papaya, Broccoli, etc.
Collagen II	Salmon, Garlic, Berries, Salmon, Walnuts, Avocados, Broccoli, Green Beans, etc.
Omega- 3 Fatty Acids	Fish oil, Walnuts, Flaxseed oil, Spinach, Flaxseeds, Eggs, Broccoli, etc.

Arthroscopy
During the Arthroscopy process, a surgeon removes the damaged and ripped ligament or cartilage from your knee joint. Arthroscopes are used for this procedure. An arthroscope is a simple device that has a tiny camera attached to the front of a tube. It helps a surgeon to see inside the knee joint while performing surgery.
Cartilage grafting is the latest surgical procedure that replaces damaged cartilage with healthy cartilage from a non-weight-bearing joint. Cartilage grafting is performed to correct joint deformities and restore the weight-bearing capability of the affected joint.
To know more about arthroscopy read Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Cost in Delhi India
Knee Replacement Surgery
When more than 70% of your bone is damaged and none of the above remedies work for your pain. Your doctor will suggest replacement surgery to you. Joint replacement surgery is also known as Arthroplasty. In this process, the bone’s damaged surface is removed and replaced with plastic, gold, or another metal prosthesis. The two most often knee replacement surgery is done on the hip and knee. The elbow, ankles, fingers, or other joints can also be replaced.
Cure My Knee has a dedicated team of doctors and a patient care team who are committed to providing you the best care through traditional as well as new methods of surgery. We provide you with the newest, least expensive, and most efficient surgical procedure.