When the typical person hears the word arthritis, the likelihood is that they consider osteoarthritis in Singapore. Although there are over 100 different sorts of arthritis, osteoarthritis is that the commonest and well-known. It’s largely a mechanical disorder that’s often caused by overuse or normal wear and tears on the joints as people grow old.
Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Here are some common early symptoms of osteoarthritis you ought to know (and here are symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis). If you experience any of those, confirm you let your rheumatologist Singapore know instead of assuming that what you’re feeling is just a replacement manifestation of your RA or another inflammatory arthritis. Your arthritis doctor Singapore will confirm you get the finest arthritis treatment for both.
- Pain
Pain is hat the most prominent symptom of both osteoarthritis and atrophic arthritis, but it’s not an equivalent pain. In osteoarthritis, the joint pain is worse with use, worse because the day goes on, and feels better with rest.
By contrast, the pain of RA tends to be felt more at rest and isn’t made worse by use. Also, people with RA may feel generally tired and ill from the disease, but OA’s symptoms are usually localized — limited to pain in and around the joints.
- Mild swelling
In osteoarthritis, the joints may feel achy and tender, but they could not look very swollen or feel warm (the way joints suffering from RA do). There could also be more swelling after physical activity and more swelling because the condition becomes more advanced.
- Bone spurs
Extra bits of bone could also be deposited around affected joints in osteoarthritis, making the ends of the fingers look somewhat deformed, as an example, or make the bottom of the large toe look larger.
- Reduced flexibility
Joints suffering from osteoarthritis may have a decreased range of motion, which may compromise movement. Osteoarthritis within the hips makes it harder to bend over. Osteoarthritis within the knees means the legs might not be ready to bend as completely. Both can affect walking and stair climbing, among other activities.
- Slow onset
Osteoarthritis develops very slowly, generally over a few years. RA, on the opposite hand, can develop relatively quickly — over weeks or months.
- Clicking or cracking sounds
The clicking or cracking that folks may hear once they move joints suffering from osteoarthritis are the sounds of bones rubbing together without enough cartilage to cushion them.
- Location within the hands
The hands are a standard site for both osteoarthritis and atrophic arthritis, but the conditions tend to focus on different joints within the hands. Osteoarthritis and atrophic arthritis look a touch different - within the hands, as an example, RA tends to affect the knuckles, whereas OA tends to affect the top joints.
- Asymmetry
It’s common for osteoarthritis to affect a joint on just one side of the body, like the left knee instead of the proper (or vice versa). In RA the disease affects each side of the body symmetrically, especially because it becomes more advanced.
- Normal lab results
Osteoarthritis is typically diagnosed supported by physical examination and X-rays. There are not any specific biopsy abnormalities related to osteoarthritis.
How Osteoarthritis Is Treated
Medical treatment for OA at a pain medical group in Singapore is fairly straightforward, primarily consisting of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen to regulate pain and inflammation.
Right now there is no way of reversing the joint damage that has occurred as a result of osteoarthritis. But there are still tons that will be done to scale back the pain and disability.