OA & Principles of Management Flashcards
What is the definition of Osteoarthritis?
Degeneritive arthritis affecting synovial joints, characterised by cartilage degeneration
What are the risk factors for OA?
- Abnormal anatomy
- Intra-articular fracture
- Ligament fracture
- Meniscal Injury
- Occupation (farmers, football players)
- Persistent heavy physical activity
- Elite running
- Obesity
What is the pathology of OA?
1 - Muscle weakness/ligament injury/abnormal anatomy
2- Instability/misalignment
3 - Increased load on joint
4 - Joint microtrauma
5 - Osteoarthritic joint with elevated IL-1B, TNF alpha, MMPs
What is the epidemiology of OA?
- Most common form of joint problem
- > 50% of UK population > 60 affected
What are the clinical features of OA?
- 45 years +
- Activity-related joint pain plus
- Has either no morning joint-related stiffness or morning stiffness that lasts no longer than 30 minutes
How is OA investigated?
X-RAY
Management:
What are the 1st line treatments of OA?
NSAID’s and Paracetamol
Apply heat or ice to joint
Loose weight
What are the non-pharmacological treatments of OA?
Thermotherapy
Electrotherapy
Walking stick
Physiotherapy
What are the pharmacological treatments of OA?
Paracetamol
NSAID’s
Topical Capsaicin
What are the surgical options for management of OA?
Joint replacement
What is the appearance of an OA joint on x-ray?
LOSS:
L - Loss of joint space
O - Osteophytes
S - Subchondral cysts
S - Sclerosis
