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Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases in the world, affecting more than half of all those over the age of 65. In the USA nearly 40 million people suffer from the disease. It is estimated that some 103 million people in Europe suffer from osteoarthritis.
Sports injuries, manual labour and the wrong kind of stress for joints and bones lead to changes in the joints, even among very young people.
Osteoarthritis is understood to be wear and tear of the joints, and, to be more precise, the degeneration of the protective layer of cartilage. Typical forms of osteoarthritis pain are the so-called start-up pain, as well as pain on weight bearing and pain at rest.
Start-up pain: This occurs with the first movements, usually after longer periods of rest, and gradually eases off with movement.
Pain on weight bearing: This is triggered by physical activity. Pain at rest: Occurs regularly, also during periods of rest, and increases in intensity as the disease progresses.
An X-ray can make osteoarthritis visible. The osteoarthritis is seen on an X-ray as a reduction in the size of the joint cavity, a compression of bone close to joints, and through the formation of additional bone material at the edge of the joint.
With arthroscopy it is possible to examine the inside of the joint. This provides the best possible view and allows for a precise diagnosis of the extent of the damage to cartilage.
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