Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a non-inflammatory type of arthritis that primarily involves the gradual deterioration of cartilage in the joints. 

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (OA), often referred to as a degenerative joint disease, is a non-inflammatory type of ar-thritis that primarily involves the gradual deterioration of cartilage in the joints. Cartilage is the firm, slip-pery tissue that covers the ends of bones and allows for smooth joint movement. As the cartilage breaks down, the bones can rub against each other, resulting in pain, swelling, and limited joint mobility.

What are the symptoms of Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is characterised by joint pain and impairment of function. Joints can become stiff, especially after periods of inactivity or first thing in the morning. A build up of fluid known as swelling, can be seen at the affected joint.

Crepitus can also be felt, which simply involves the bones rubbing against each other, resulting in a crack-ing sound. You can expect difficulty moving the affected joint through its full range of movement.

How do I have swelling if OA is a non-inflammatory arthritis?

Generally, inflammatory arthritis begins in the lining tissue of the joint. Involving a rapid onset of systemic symptoms such as fatigue, swelling or morning stiffness that persists longer than 30 minutes. In contrast, with non-inflammatory arthritis (OA), there is a slow development of localised symptoms that neverthe-less entail inflammation in the articular cartilage of a joint, such as swelling at the knee.

 Why does Osteoarthritis occur?

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, that affects millions of people worldwide. The exact cause in unknown, however several factors contribute to a higher prevalence of having osteoarthritis.


  • Age - Older adults are generally at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. For women over 50s, are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, especially after menopause. 
  • Lifestyle
  • Occupation - Certain jobs involving repetitive stress on specific joints can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, such as building and construction work.
  • Hobbies - If the activity you are doing places frequent strain on a joint, then you will be more likely to develop OA. For example, activities that involve a lot of running, jumping and twisting.
  • Weight - It’s also frequent in the obese population, due to the excess weight adding more stress on the joints. This results in the acceleration of the cartilaginous degenerating process.
  • Genetics - Having a family history of osteoarthritis can predispose an individual to this condition.

Are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis the same?

 

While both are forms of arthritis, they differ in their causes and effects on the body:

  • Osteoarthritis: Primarily a degenerative disease that causes wear and tear of the joint’s cartilage. Oste-oarthritis usually begins in an isolated joint.
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: An autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain, and damage to the joint lining. Rheumatoid arthritis often targets several joints at once.

Can osteoarthritis spread to other parts of the body?

  • Osteoarthritis primarily affects the joints. However, if left untreated, it can lead to deterioration in adja-cent joints due to changes in gait and movement patterns. It doesn't typically "spread" like an infectious disease but can progressively worsen in affected joints.

 How is Osteoarthritis treated?

Osteoarthritis is a long term condition that cannot be cured, but thankfully it can be improved. The treat-ment of osteoarthritis is focused on improving pain, disability and quality of life with non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies. 

Therefore, a combination of manual therapy with therapeutic exercises from one of our Chiropractor, Osteopath, Physiotherapist or Sports Therapist, have been found to be beneficial.

Manual Therapy would like involve:
  • manipulation
  • gentle mobilisation, progressing to firmer mobilisation
  • soft tissue release
According to NICE guidelines, dry needling and electrotherapy are NOT recommended for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Intra-articular corticosteroid injections are sometimes offered to osteoarthritis patients through doctor referrals, in cases where other treatments have been ineffective. These however, provide short term relief lasting around 2 to 10 weeks.

If you find your quality of life to be severely impacted by osteoarthritis or that the non-pharmacological treatment is being ineffective, a doctor may then refer you for a joint replacement.

Can I treat Osteoarthritis at home?

To a certain extent, osteoarthritis may be treated at home... The at-home treatments listed below aim to manage the illness generally; they do not, however, focus on the region where you are affected and only have a short-term impact. In order to get more substantial and long-lasting benefits, a healthcare expert is involved. They employ manual therapy and a variety of other treatment modalities.


The NHS recommends maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly, ensuring there is adequate rest and overexertion of the affected joint is avoided.  Alternating ice and heat to the affected area, has been proven to be effective in the reduction of pain and stiffness. This can be in the form of ice/heat packs from supermarkets or bottles filled with either hot/cold water.


Choosing activities that are easy on the joints such as swimming, cycling and walking are recommended.


OA can affect any joint in the body, most commonly the knees, hips and hands. An exercise programme tailored to the area associated with OA would be provided by one of our practitioners (Physiotherapists, Chiropractors or Osteopaths), will help strengthen the muscles surrounding the affected joint, and help with the process of losing weight. It’s expected to feel pain and stiffness during the exercises, as long as it’s not excruciating. Having a balanced diet will be beneficial in reducing the stress put on the affected joints.