Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease caused by wear and tear of cartilage and underlying bone.
Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but it most commonly affects the joints of the hands, hips, and knees, as well as the lower back and neck.
The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness and other symptoms are decrease range of motion and joint swelling, Muscle weakness Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years.
Types:
Primary Osteoarthritis-
Which is more common is the “wear and tear” type of osteoarthritis that develops over time without a specific cause. It affects women more often than men, especially after menopausal age.
Secondary Osteoarthritis-
It is caused by sports-related injuries, obesity, physical inactivity, Abnormal growths of bone and cartilage
Modalities –
Heat and cold therapy is applied to enhance relaxation and reduces pain.
Pulsed electrical stimulation can be useful to promote the blood circulation.
Exercise –
Stretching and strengthening exercises need to be done regularly to maintain the endurance and flexibility. More unloading exercises will be prescribed to prevent further trauma of the knee.
Balance training –
Balance training is to train postural stability especially is the older adults with impaired balance.
Joint protection –
Flexibility, strength and joint sense are optimized in hopes of reducing joint stresses, decreasing shock impacts to the joint and maximizing joint movement and alignment.
