Exploring this common and very treatable joint condition
By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie).
Osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent conditions in the world, affecting over 500 million people worldwide in 2019 (and over 400,000 in Ireland). With the population aging, and other risk factors increasing, this figure is rising. Despite its prevalence, most people do not really understand what it is and what they can do about it.
Today starts a series exploring this extremely common condition. In the coming weeks we will investigate what factors put people at risk of developing osteoarthritis and what are the most effective ways to improve the health of our joints.
What is it Really?
There are various forms of arthritis (arthro- = joint; -itis = inflammation). Autoimmune arthritis, where the immune system is the main driver of the condition, includes rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is related to the joint and all the structures and tissues around it (not just the cartilage) – the immune system, while playing a role via inflammation, is not directly involved to the degree it is in autoimmune conditions.
Wear & Repair
Pain from osteoarthritis tends to be associated more with the healing process as opposed to the “wearing down” of tissues. Perhaps we should talk more about “Wear & Repair” rather than “wear & tear”.
While our joints do suffer from injuries occasionally, both big and small, these injuries heal and repair. The fact that some people end up developing osteoarthritis and others don’t is still not completely understood. But we do know quite a lot about reducing people’s risk and improving their outlooks if they have osteoarthritis.
Your Joints
Your joints are made up of much more than just bones and cartilage (smooth, strong covering). They consist of many structures such as;
- ligaments (strong fibrous tissue that offer stability to varying movements)
- capsule (ligament-like sheath that wraps and envelops the joint, sealing it off)
- tendons (cord-like structures attaching muscle to bone and allowing from movement and energy transfer)
- synovial fluid (living fluid, full of molecules and cells that lubricate and feed the joint surfaces).
Some joints contain a variety of other structures – and all of these can be affected to some degree by osteoarthritis.
Your Joints Are Alive
Remember that all the structures here are alive – they are living, breathing and adapting parts of you. There is as much blood flowing through your bones right now as there is in your skin. Bones react and adapt like muscle, growing stronger and denser when we regularly subject them to heavier loads.
All other living tissues adapt – with some adapting quickly (like muscle and bone) and others taking longer to adapt (like cartilage). Osteoarthritis is an active condition – i.e. there is an ongoing process within the joint, consisting of breaking down and building up.
Plenty that can be done…
Considering that your joints and all that is in them are alive – can you think of anything that might help to reduce the burden of osteoarthritis? (Psssst, anything that is good for your health is good for your joints – after all, they are alive!).
Next week we will explore the things that put people at risk of osteoarthritis, and perhaps this will give us a clue as to how we can best take care of our joints.
