Research Paper Osteoarthritis free essay sample

Research Paper: Osteoarthritis BY samfrl 24 Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that causes Joint degrading which is most commonly found in the knees, hands, hips, feet, and spine. Osteoarthritis is the second most common form of arthritis and first most common in the U. S (Brandt, Kenneth D. , M. , Doherty, and Stefan Lohmander, 1998, 67). This disease is caused when there is gradual cartilage loss from Joints; this can cause bony spurs and cysts (Brandt, Kenneth D. , M. , Doherty, Stefan Lohmander, 1998, 30). The disease is most common in the elderly because as you grow older it becomes harder for your body to roduce cartilage and the cartilage you had has been worn away over the years. It is estimated that 90% of Americans will have some signs of Osteoarthritis by age 40(Margreet Kloppenburg, 2013). Osteoarthritis is a condition that causes the degrading of Joints, the symptoms are common and it is not curable but is manageable. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper: Osteoarthritis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Osteoarthritis doesnt have as many symptoms as many other common diseases since most of them revolve around your Joints. The most common of all the symptoms is stiffness, this happens most commonly in the fingers and knees which make it hard for certain people with severe osteoarthritis to walk or pick up objects easily Osteoarthritis, Prevention Treatment of Osteonecrosis). The pain that occurs from this stiffness is usually a sharp pain and/or burning sensation. It is common that when these Joints are moved that they make a crackling noise which is known as (Carlos Lopez Cubas, et al, 2013) crepitus. Though many of these signs only apply to knees, hands, hips, feet, and spine osteoarthritis can occur at any Joint in the body (Though many of the other Joints that get Osteoarthritis are from an injury and are not as common). There are a few signs of osteoarthritis which are unique depending on where the disease is present. For smaller Joints such as fingers rather large bone enlargements can be seen these are called Heberdens nodes and Bouchards nodes. Heberdens nodes form on the Joint that connects the top part of your finger (distal phalanges) and the middle part of your finger (intermediate phalanges) this Joint is called your distal interphalangeal Joint. Bouchards nodes form on the Joint that connects the bottom part of your finger (proximal phalanges) and the middle part of your finger (intermediate phalanges) this Joint is called your proximal interphalangeal joint(lntroduction to Arthritis, 2010). While these bumps may be visual unpleasing they dont cause very much pain, but they can limit the movement of the fingers severely (Osteoarthritis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, 2013). Osteoarthritis at the toes can lead to bunions which have a red visual appearance and can also cause pain when moving your toes or walking. Osteoarthritis in the knee is the leading cause of Joint effusion (of the knee). Joint effusion is when there is too much fluid in a particular Joint this can cause a physical bump on the Joint and can cause pain when that Joint is used. Osteoarthritiss does not have any known symptoms that affect nything other than your Joints, so you wont feel sick or get a headache if you have osteoarthritis the best way to check for symptoms is to evaluate your Joint health. Osteoarthritiss causes are hard to avoid because for the most part it involves is mechanical stress on your Joints which can lead to the loss of cartilage (Brandt KD, Dieppe P, Radin E, 2009). This mechanical stress can come from a variety of things; misalignment of bones, mechanical injury, obesity, muscle loss around Joints and damaged peripheral nerves.