3 Types of Joint Pain in Your Golden Years

What is osteoarthritis?

There are 2 types of osteoarthritis – primary and secondary. Both types of osteoarthritis may affect your fingers, hips, knees, ankles or toes.

Primary osteoarthritis

Primary osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage between your bones degenerates. As you age, the water content in your cartilage decreases, making it weaker and more susceptible to damage.

Secondary osteoarthritis

Secondary osteoarthritis, on the other hand, is not related to ageing and is caused by injury, disease or genetic factors.

Both types of osteoarthritis may affect your fingers, hips, knees, ankles or toes.

What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?

The symptoms for both types of osteoarthritis เล่นเกมคาสิโน UFABET ทันสมัย ฝากถอนง่าย are similar. Pain and stiffness in your affected joints during or after movement are common, as are tenderness and swelling.

You will experience a loss of flexibility in your affected joints, and a grating sensation that is accompanied by clicking or cracking sounds.

In the early stages of osteoarthritis, you may only feel pain and discomfort when you are using your joints, or when you awake in the morning. However, as your condition worsens, you may experience these symptoms even when you are resting.

What makes osteoarthritis worse?

Delaying treatment

Not seeking treatment as soon as possible can worsen your condition as your cartilage degenerates further. Moreover, your body works as a system and other joints will have to compensate. This may result in injury to your other joints, which in turn, complicates matters and exacerbates your pain.

Weak muscles

Strengthening the muscles around your joints can alleviate the pain, so low-impact exercises are recommended. However, depending on the severity of your condition, your orthopaedic specialist may advise you to seek treatment first before exercising.

Dehydration

As your cartilage is 70 – 80% water, you need to remain well hydrated for your joints to work properly. Insufficient water intake can lead to greater pain for osteoarthritis patients.

Overweight

The heavier you are, the greater the wear rate of your joint cartilage and hence the onset and progression of osteoarthritis. Maintaining an appropriate body mass index is a good way to prevent osteoarthritis, as well as other health problems.