Osteoarthritis is a disease that most commonly affects people who are 60 and older. It is exceedingly rare for someone to be diagnosed with osteoarthritis before the age of 40. Osteoarthritis is distinguished from other types of arthritis more by the symptoms that you don’t get because “there are no very specific symptoms of osteoarthritis [versus other types of arthritis],” says Jonathan Edwards, MD, professor at University College London in England.
Here are some facts that can help you understand if you may have Osteoarthritis:
- Stiffness in the morning that lasts longer than 30 minutes is less likely to be a symptom of osteoarthritis, as this type of stiffness generally clears up within that time.
- Osteoarthritis affects certain joints and leaves others alone. If you have many different joints affected on both sides of your body, it’s less likely that the cause is osteoarthritis.
- Osteoarthritis rarely affects the wrist, elbow, or ankle. If you have joint pain in these areas, it’s unlikely to be caused by osteoarthritis.
- Unless osteoarthritis is far along, it is unlikely to cause pain at night.
- Joint pain that is associated with other symptoms, such as a rash or a fever, is unlikely to be caused by osteoarthritis.
- There are no blood tests that can detect osteoarthritis; however, your doctor can use a blood test to see if another type of arthritis is causing your symptoms.
Knowing how to recognize osteoarthritis symptoms — or rather those that indicate that osteoarthritis is more likely than other types of arthritis — can help you catch the disease in its earliest stages, when weight loss and exercise are most helpful.
all my best,
Karen Cameron
www.IndependAid.com & www.Memoir-Maker.com
Source: AOL Everyday Health
ElderCaring 