Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis disability can be frustrating and painful

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joint and is painful.  It can also be very debilitating.

With osteoarthritis the cartilage, that protects the end of the bones in a joint, breaks down and cannot protect the bones any longer. The bones will then grate against each other and will cause pain and the loss of easy movement.

The joint will become inflamed. And that’s not the only problem.

If you break the joint small parts of bone fragments might not heal properly They will then  sort of wander around on their own through the joint space and cause additional pain and maybe more damage too.

Many people develop OA after the age of 45. That’s mostly because the wear and tear on their joints.  Of course, if they were avid athletes and put much strain on specific joints they are more at risk for OA then people that use their joints with the preservation of them in mind.

Younger people may develop OA after an injury. Of course that injury might be the result of an accident, but it could also be the result of a sport mishap.

Both men and women can get OA.  However, after the age of 50 women seem to be more prone to develop this disease. Hands, knees, hips, neck and spine seem to be the most common body parts to develop OA.

Osteoarthritis disability can become so severe that patients might not be able to work for long periods of time. Or they might have to give up employment altogether.   When that happens they will have to look into what government agencies are able, and willing,  to do for them to help them financially.

How to cope with OA and how to manage the pain.

Everybody has a pain threshold.  It varies from person to person how high this threshold is.  I’m one of the lucky ones whose threshold appears to be high.  High pain thresholds do not lessen the pain but make it possible for people to cope with it better.

Of course attitude plays a big part also.  People will be helpful and sympathize but nobody wants to listen to complaints constantly.  Having OA is bad enough by itself but you do not want to lose your friends by continuously whining.

Personally I tend to enjoy the things I can still do and I just don’t dwell on the things I cannot do anymore.  Try some day to write down all the good things you can still enjoy and make another list of the things you miss doing. And I bet that the first list will have more items on it. That is if you are honest with yourself.

And there are some things that can help the pain somewhat:

  • use a heating pad on the worst affected joint
  • keep the joint moving so it does not get too stiff
  • see a physiotherapist who might give you some ideas on how to cope
  • take some non prescription pain killers
  • keep your sense of humor

Whatever you do, it’s my opinion that you should stay away from prescription drugs.  Don’t take that as a suggestion to throw out all your prescription drugs. Never do that without consulting your physician. I’m just talking about painkillers. OK?

And if you really are desperate to find something for the pain I suggest that you get a product that has worked for thousand of arthritis patients. Do yourself a big favor and don’t let this osteoarthritis disability take over your life.

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Filed under: Arthritis

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