Thursday, September 20, 2012

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a disease that causes the breakdown of joint tissue, leading to joint pain and stiffness. It can affect any joint, but commonly occurs in the hips, knees, feet and spine. It also may affect some finger joints, the joint at the base of the thumb and the joint at the base of the big toe. It rarely affects the wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles or jaw, except as a result of injury or unusual stress.
Osteoarthritis is one of the oldest and most common diseases in humans. It probably affects almost every person over age 60 to some degree, but only some have it badly enough to notice any symptoms. Osteoarthritis is also known by many other names, such as degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis, or hypertrophic arthritis.
Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, proper treatment can help relieve the symptoms and prevent or correct serious joint problems. (See Health Profile: Osteoarthritis.)

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