Health News Review

Published by Tower Health

Osteoarthritis - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

What is Osteoarthritis? Who develops the disease? Did you know?
Osteoarthritis (also known as degen- Osteoarthritis usually develops in "Osteoarthritis" is derived from
erative arthritis) is a chronic disease
people who are over 50 years of age, the Greek words "osteo", meaning
involving the degradation of the and it is more common in women "of the bone", "arthro", meaning
joints and surrounding cartilage. than in men. It is commonly thought "joint", and "itis", meaning
that osteoarthritis is an inevitable inflammation.
There are three main characteristics: part of getting older, but this is not
• it causes damage to cartilage - true.
Living with Osteoarthritis
the strong, smooth surface that Whilst there is no cure for Os-
lines the bones and allows Younger people can also be affected
teoarthritis, there are many ways in
joints to move easily and by osteoarthritis, often as a result of
which the pain and other symptoms
without friction, an injury or another joint condition.
can be relieved.
• it results in bony growths de- Did you know?
veloping around the edge of Osteoarthritis is the most common Lifestyle changes
the joints, and
type of arthritis in the UK, with an
• it causes mild inflammation of Weight control - Maintaining a
estimated 8.5 million people
the tissues around the joints. healthy weight can limit the strain
affected by the condition.
on the joints.

Assistive devices - Walking aids

Contributing factors such as a stick or cane can help also
It is thought that there are probably reduce the pressure on painful joints
several factors that contribute to the as well as providing support for
development of osteoarthritis: balance.
Joint injury or disease Shock absorbing footwear - Shoes
Osteoarthritis can develop in a joint and insoles to absorb the impact of
A healthy knee An arthritic knee that has been damaged by an injury, walking on the joints are often rec-
or operation. Overusing your joint ommended. At Tower Health we
when it is has not had enough time stock our own cut-to-fit shock ab-
What are the symptoms? to heal, can also contribute to os-
The onset is gradual and most often teoarthritis in later life. sorbing insoles. High heels should
also be avoided as they cause unnec-
affects weight bearing joints such as
essary joint strain.
the hips and knees although it can Genes
plague almost any joints. In some cases, osteoarthritis may be Exercise - Regular low impact ac-
passed on from one member of a tivities such as swimming and walk-
family to another. It is estimated that ing help reduce stiffness and relieve
Pain is the main symptom, which
40-60% of cases of hand, knee, and pain. Exercise is also good for re-
usually worsens with exercise and is hip osteoarthritis may have a genetic
relieved by rest. Morning stiffness is link, although the genes that carry lieving stress, losing weight, and
improving your posture, all of which
also common but diminishes with the condition are not yet known.
will ease symptoms of osteoarthritis.
movement. As the disease pro-
gresses, joint mobility can be lost, Obesity
and tenderness as well as grating Being obese puts excess strain on
sensations may develop. Os- joints, particularly those that bear
the most weight, such as the knees
teoarthritis of the spine may lead to and hips. As a result, osteoarthritis
shooting pains down the arms or can often be worse in those who are
legs. significantly overweight.
Pace yourself - Whilst keeping
active is very important, be sure to
take time to relax and try to space
out physically hard jobs throughout
the day as opposed to doing every-
thing all at once.
Supplements
A number of supplements are avail-
able for treating osteoarthritis. Two
of the most common for osteoarthri-
tis are chondroitin and glucosamine.
The reason behind their use is that
joint cartilage normally contains
glucosamine and chondroitin com-
pounds and taking supplements of
these natural ingredients may help
improve the health of damaged os-
teoarthritic cartilage.
Studies on both have suggested that
the supplements can reduce symp-
toms and slow down the degreda-
tion of the joints.
Tower Health’s
Nutriplex joint
supplement also
contains MSM to
reduce pain and
collagen improve
joint flexibility and
strength.
Topical creams
There are a number of creams avail- Tower Health’s PainGone device
able to apply to painful joints with works on the principles of TENS
various effects.
Unit 1 Holly Court Business Park, Landmere Lane, Nottingham NG12 4DG
Tel: 08450 066 077 Web: www.tower-health.co.uk
NSAID creams (Non-Steroidal Thermotherapy
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are often Thermotherapy is a form of treat-
prescribed and can be effective in ment that can be used for os-
relieving pain but over time cause
teoarthritis. It uses warm and cold
stomach problems.
temperatures to help ease the pain
Gluco Aktiv is a natural and stiffness in your joints. A hot
gel containing glucosa- water bottle filled with either hot or
mine as well as eucalyp- cold water and applied to the af-
tus, wintergreen, camphor fected area can be very effective in
and rosemary to help helping to reduce pain. Special hot
eliminate joint stiffness
and cold packs that can either be
and prolong pain relief.
cooled in the freezer, or heated in a
microwave oven, are also available,
Boswellia has anti-inflammatory and work in a similar way.
properties found to be as effective
as the frequently prescribed anti-
inflammatory drug valdecoxib
(Bextra). In addition, while the im-
provements occurred more slowly
in the boswellia group than in the
valdecoxib group, they persisted for
a longer period of time after
treatment ended. Tower Health's pain and mobility
Unlike NSAIDs, range offers a microwaveable heat
however, long-term pack and warming joint supports.
use of boswellia
does not lead to irri-
tation or ulceration The future
of the stomach. We do not yet completely under-
stand the causes of osteoarthritis nor
do we have the cure. However, re-
cent research is uncovering the
TENS
Transcutaneous electrical nerve mechanisms which lead to joint
stimulation (TENS) is a treatment damage as well as the factors which
method that typically involves small control the healing response.
electrical pads (electrodes) being
applied to the skin over the affected Doctors and researchers have
changed their attitude a great deal in
joint, which deliver small pulses of
recent years. They now see real
electricity from the TENS machine
to naturally relieve pain. possibilities of understanding and
controlling osteoarthritis in the
future. Osteoarthritis is no longer
seen as an inevitable part of ageing
or a 'wear and tear' disease, but
more as a major challenge and an
offer effective drug-free pain relief. important problem they can solve.
Tower Health