Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition that causes joints to become painful and stiff. It's the most common type of arthritis in the UK.  The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are joint pain and stiffness. For some people, the symptoms can be mild and may come and go. Other people can experience more continuous and severe problems which make it difficult to carry out everyday activities.  Almost any joint can be affected by osteoarthritis, but the condition most often causes problems in the knees, hips and small joints of the hands. 

As part of normal life, our joints are exposed to a constant low level of damage. In most cases, the body repairs the damage itself and we don't experience any symptoms.  But in osteoarthritis, the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones breaks down, causing pain, swelling and problems moving the joint. Bony growths can develop, and the area can become inflamed (red and swollen). 

The exact cause isn't known, but several things are thought to increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis, including: joint injury – overusing your joint, especially when it hasn't had enough time to heal after an injury or operation; secondary arthritis can occur in joints severely damaged by another condition, being obese puts excess strain on your joints, particularly those that bear most weight, such as knees and hips, age and family history are also factors.

Osteoarthritis is a long-term condition and can't be cured, but it doesn't necessarily get any worse over time and it can sometimes gradually improve. Mild symptoms can sometimes be managed with simple measures including: regular exercise, losing weight, wearing suitable footwear or using special devices to reduce the strain on joints during everyday activities. More severe symptoms, may need additional treatments such as painkilling medication and a structured exercise plan carried out under the supervision of a physiotherapist. In a small number of cases, where the above treatments haven't helped or the damage to the joints is particularly severe, surgery may be carried out to repair, strengthen or replace a damaged joint.

Whilst this might seem to be a purely physical condition, in Chinese medicine all physical pain is deemed to have a spiritual component. Stress especially can impact the physical body and someone with anxiety could equally suffer from the physical symptoms of arthritic conditions.  Correcting an imbalance whilst it might not ‘cure’ the damage incurred, a body in balance will better manage the symptoms and prevent further damage.