What is degenerative arthritis?
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Loading ...Degenerative arthritis sounds like a fancy term but it is a synonym used for the commonly known, osteoarthritis. You may have heard the terms, but do you know what these terms really mean? Osteoarthritis or degenerative disease is a condition that develops slowly and progresses on affecting several joints. The cause behind this condition is still unknown while statistics show that more women than men suffer from this condition. Another key feature of the condition is its prevalence in late life, affecting hands and the weight bearing joints (like the hip or knee) in the body. As a result it causes deformity in some cases, but mostly pain and limitation of motion to the sufferer.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis is the increased pain felt at the localized joints. If the person suffering from osteoarthritis is passing through its initial stages, the pain may come and go. So one may experience pain all day long in some cases and in others, there may be days without any pain at all. However at latter stages the pain will be somewhat permanent and persistent making it very difficult to bear it. The pain may also vary depending on whether the condition is affected at one joint or many joints. Other prominent symptoms of osteoarthritis include limited motion of the joints involved, enlargement of joints, deformity of joints, prolonged fatigue and weakness.
So if you or any of your family members, complaint of constant pain involving limbs and joints, your best choice is to make an appointment with the family doctor to get a recommendation for a test that may check against arthritis. For osteoarthritis, usually an X-ray will be used to confirm the symptoms against the diagnosis. The X-ray will also be able to give an idea about the level of joint involvement and the phase of the condition.
Inflammations and swellings surrounding the affected joints may cause great distress to the patient and in such case; doctors will usually make use of pain killers for relief. Other than that, the best form of treatment known for degenerative arthritis is to rest while immobilizing the affected joints. Depending on the intensity of the condition, doctors may decide to employ an injection for relief. Usually these injections could be taken several times and they will relieve pain for a few days or weeks. However, the most important thing to remember is to exercise the joints daily, no matter how much it hurts. These exercises do not have to be intensive. Rather they should make the joints move in order to retain the flexibility of motion. However, you may want to check with your doctor or physiotherapist on what particular exercises to employ for your condition as the exercises may vary depending on the different conditions.
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