Osteoarthritis

Overview

Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but is most common in the hands, knees, hips and spine. Repeated use of the joint after cartilage loss can cause permanent damage. Bony spurs may form, and your ligaments and muscles become weak and stiff.

Symptoms usually appear in middle age, after age 45. Osteoarthritis affects 27 million Americans, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Most people have some osteoarthritis by age 70.

Osteoarthritis Risk Factors

Osteoarthritis can appear earlier in life or be aggravated by several factors:

• Obesity. Being overweight puts extra pressure on the joints, especially the knees and feet.
• Heredity. Osteoarthritis tends to run in families.
• Repeated use. Jobs that involved kneeling, squatting, lifting or climbing stairs can place a heavy load on your joints. Sports that include direct impacts and twisting, like football and basketball, can also damage your joints over time.
• Injury. Any fracture or injury to the cartilage or ligaments in your joints can lead to osteoarthritis later in life.
• Medical conditions. Bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, that affect the blood supply near a joint and other forms of arthritis can also lead to osteoarthritis.

How We Can Help

You can reduce the impact of osteoarthritis with lifestyle changes or even surgery. At IU Health, your primary care physician uses a multi-disciplinary approach to provide a variety of treatment options to keep you moving and minimize your pain. Your physician will work with IU School of Medicine experts to access the latest research and information about preventing osteoarthritis and treating symptoms.

While a cure for osteoarthritis doesn’t exist, your physician’s focus on studying and treating the condition allows them to help lessen your joint pain so you can live life to the fullest. Your physician’s affiliation with the IU School of Medicine Division of Rheumatology connects him/her to the latest research and clinical studies for osteoarthritis treatments.

IU Health physicians participate in the national osteoarthritis initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health to study many aspects of the condition. In 1977, the NIH funded the IU Multipurpose Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center, which conducts research into the causes and biology of rheumatic diseases, including osteoarthritis.

Treatment

IU Health physicians offer treatments to keep you active, get you healthy and reduce your pain—all with the goal of improving your overall quality of life.

• Medicines. Over-the-counter pain relievers and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen reduce joint pain. Other medicines also help.
  • Corticosteroids injected into the joint reduce pain and swelling.
  • Supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate lubricate the joint.
  • Skin creams such as Capsaicin relieve pain.
• Physical therapy and occupational therapy
• Exercise. IU Health exercise physiologists craft programs tailored to your goals for weight loss and increased activity.
• Weight control
  • Non-surgical weight loss
  • Bariatric Surgery
• Surgery. Depending on the joint involved, different surgeries can relieve pain.
  • Arthroscopic surgery. This type of surgery trims damaged cartilage and repairs a torn meniscus.
  • Osteotomy. Bone alignment relieves stress on a bone or joint in this type of surgery.
  • Arthrodesis. A surgical fusion of bones, often done in the spine or feet.
  • Joint replacement