Osteoarthritis normally affects older people and it is a disease where joints wear out. As the joint surface wears away, it sheds particles which stimulate the joint lining to produce fluid. This causes the joint to swell. When the joint cartilage wears away, the core of the bone becomes exposed. The exposed bone rubs against other exposed bone.
Synovial fluid analysis
change| Type | WBC (per mm3) | % neutrophils | Viscosity | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | <200 | 0 | High | Transparent |
| Osteoarthritis | <5000 | <25 | High | Clear yellow |
| Trauma | <10,000 | <50 | Variable | Bloody |
| Inflammatory | 2,000–50,000 | 50–80 | Low | Cloudy yellow |
| Septic arthritis | >50,000 | >75 | Low | Cloudy yellow |
| Gonorrhea | ~10,000 | 60 | Low | Cloudy yellow |
| Tuberculosis | ~20,000 | 70 | Low | Cloudy yellow |
| Inflammatory: Arthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever | ||||
Management
changeExercise
changeWeight loss and exercise gives long-term treatment.[3] Short-term treatments usually have risk of harm (in the long-term).[4]
The way to get through the pain is to be active (exercise), not rest. This is similar to the management of back pain, but other conditions require rest.
Symptoms
changeJoints will be stiff and painful, and may be swollen. The pain may be worse after exercise. It may get harder to move the joint.
References
change- ↑ Flynn JA, Choi MJ, Wooster DL (2013). Oxford American Handbook of Clinical Medicine. US: OUP. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-19-991494-4.
- ↑ Seidman AJ, Limaiem F (2019). "Synovial Fluid Analysis". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 30725799. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
- ↑ Hunter DJ, Eckstein F (2009). "Exercise and osteoarthritis". Journal of Anatomy. 214 (2): 197–207. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.01013.x. PMC 2667877. PMID 19207981.
- ↑ Charlesworth J, Fitzpatrick J, Orchard J (2019). "Osteoarthritis- a systematic review of long-term safety implications for osteoarthritis of the knee". BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 20 (1): 151. doi:10.1186/s12891-019-2525-0. PMC 6454763. PMID 30961569.
