Arthritis Can Strike at Any Age

Do your knees, hips and other joints snap, crackle and pop when you move? Whether you’re a senior, approaching middle age or a young athlete in your prime, you may have arthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease.

Once considered an age-related condition, it’s now known that arthritis can afflict anyone at any age. The condition can range from slight joint stiffness in the morning to a chronic, debilitating pain that can limit your mobility and reduce your quality of life.

More than 40 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than half of arthritis cases are osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a joint disease that affects cartilage, the tissue that covers the ends of the bones in a joint. The joints most often affected by osteoarthritis are those used for bending and swiveling movements: the knees, hips, shoulders and fingers. Healthy cartilage provides padding between bones that acts as a shock absorber for high-impact activities, and helps bones to glide smoothly together at the joints for bending and rotating motions.

In joints affected by osteoarthritis, the smooth, elastic cartilage that covers the ends of bones breaks down and wears away, leaving a rough surface where bones can rub together. Eventually, the joint can become misshapen; bits of bone and cartilage may break off and float in the joint space; or spiky growths called bone spurs can develop on the surface of the exposed bone – which can cause joint pain and decreased mobility.

Osteoarthritis Risk and Symptoms
“Osteoarthritis can develop over time as age-related wear and tear, or as a result of a joint injury,” says Brandon Bussler, M.D., Chestnut Hill Hospital “Those most at risk of developing osteoarthritis are females, those who have a family history of osteoarthritis, those who are overweight or have had prior joint injuries, and those who put continuous, repetitive stress on their joints such as a job that requires excessive lifting, bending or repetitive tasks.”

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• Joint pain – at rest or with activity
• Swelling or tenderness
• Stiffness, especially after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time
• Limited joint motion
• Weakness in the limb
• Bony enlargement of the joint area
• A “crunching” noise or feeling when moving the joint

Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, early diagnosis and treatment may help slow the development and progression of the disease, further avoiding joint damage; help relieve pain and stiffness; and preserve maximum range of motion.  According to the Arthritis Foundation (AF), symptoms of osteoarthritis begin to set in 10 years after a specific cause such as an injury or obesity, so early treatment is important.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Osteoarthritis is diagnosed through a combination of tests including a medical history, physical exam, X-rays or MRIs, and possibly, blood tests or examinations of fluid drawn from the joint.

Treatment options include lifestyle modifications, medications, physical therapy or surgery. Your doctor may recommend switching from high-impact to low-impact sports activities. Topical or oral pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or corticosteroid injections, administered by your doctor, can help control pain and swelling.

Other non-surgical remedies may include weight loss. The AF estimates that every pound of excess weight lost reduces 4 pounds of pressure on the knees and 6 pounds of pressure on the hips. Additionally, physical therapy can help strengthen the muscles that surround and support the affected joint, and ice or heat may also help reduce swelling and pain. Regular exercise is also important, to help the affected joint stay lubricated and strong.

If other treatment methods are not effective, surgery can also help relieve pain and restore mobility. Surgical interventions range from minimally invasive arthroscopy – which removes bone spurs or smooths rough bone surfaces – to total joint replacement, in which parts of the bones are removed and an artificial joint is implanted.

To learn more, visit www.chestnuthillhealth.com; click on “Health Resources” and “Interactive Tools,” and take the Knee Care Quiz, Spine Health Quiz, or Osteoarthritis Quiz. Or, call Dr. Bussler at 215-646-6743 for an appointment.

About the Author: Brandon Bussler, M.D., is a board-certified family medicine physician on the medical staff at Chestnut Hill Hospital. He earned a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and received a master’s degree in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown University. Dr. Bussler recently joined the Chestnut Hill Family Care Associates in Ft. Washington.  

Sources: The Arthritis Foundation, www.arthritis.com, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, www.aaos.org, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, www.niams.nih.gov