Are you a friend or family member of OA, and are trying to learn more about it to help them out some?  Well, you have come to the right place.  This blog is about exactly that – it explores how one can help and what they can do with friends or family members that have OA.

First, don’t treat them like they are different.  They really aren’t, and you know it – they will also get pretty offended.  There are things you can do though that they would appreciate.  Like for instance, I had a friend with bad OA in their knees.  They needed to have multiple surgeries, and couldn’t really do much – so I decided instead of being awkward around them or outright avoiding them, I would help out and that would be how we spent time together.

So, I offered them rides to appointments that they had but couldn’t really drive to.  I also brought them over a bunch of fun movies to watch so they wouldn’t get bored, and I picked up some groceries for them on my way there.  While they watched the movies, I did some of their laundry.

Basically, the best way you can help people with OA – or any disease for that matter – just don’t worry.  That may sound hard, but if you focus that “worrying’ energy, and instead use it to help, it will be better for anyone.

Please feel free to leave your own suggestions for how you help would or do help others with OA.

The other day, during my morning routine of eating breakfast and browsing various forums, I came across a post on an osteoarthritis discussion and help forum that really stood out to me.  It was about a man.  A man that had a well run business of his own that was doing solid for many years.  He then developed severe OA, and to put it blunty, was pretty much ruined.  He has tried everything he can to relieve his pain, but nothing, so far, has really worked.  He is 63 years old, and sounds like a pretty swell guy.  It is pretty sad to hear things like this.  So many peoples lives are severely hampered because of OA, and it’s getting old!

It’s really hard to tell just what it’s like to go through OA if you don’t have it yourself, but people who try to understand and help – they are the best.  Well, to get to the point of this blog, that is why this forum post stood out to me.  It was made by his step daughter – trying to find a way to understand it, trying to find a way to help it.

And, I really hope she finds help for him.

Finding out you have OA, or even not knowing you have OA and just going through the symptoms, can be a real bummer.  It can make one feel isolated and insecure about themselves.  It is even worse if you know nothing about OA.  Just think, how can it do you any good to not know everything about what you are going through?  You don’t necessarily have to fully understand all of the technicalities of OA, but at least knowing about the basics, or even some ways to help it a little, could be of great use to you and your body.

So, as I am sure you are well aware, knowing about osteoporosis when you have it, can make living with the disease a lot easier.  In fact, studies have shown that education has been helpful in the self-management of patients with arthritis in decreasing the pain, increasing functionality, reducing both stiffness and fatigue, and even reducing medical usage.

I know what you are thinking,”Wow!  It can be that good, huh?”  Well, OK, you might not be thinking that.  I am not a psychic, after all.  But I hope this blog has helped you understand how much eduction can help you conquer this disease.

Osteoarthritis has been historically divided up into two different groups – primary and secondary – though this division is a little misleading, but that is neither here nor there.  Primary OA, by definition, is a little cloudy.  The simple version would be when OA forms in previously fine joints for what seems to be absolutely no reason and with no apparent initiating factor.  Primary OA is believed to be related to aging, as most people that have it are older.  It’s not directly related to aging though, because there is plenty of people that are in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s that have never had it.  Some clinicians limit primary OA to the joints of the hands.  Mainly the distal interphalangeal joints, proximal interphalangeal joints, and joints at the base of the thumb.  Some other clinicians also include the knees, hips, and spine as areas of potential involvement.

What are the Demographics of Primary OA?

Age: The occurrence of the disease increases dramatically after the age of 50.  80-90% of people over 65 are believe to have primary OA.

Sex: The prevlence of OA is higher amoung women then in men ages 55 and up.

Race: The patterns of primary OA are pretty different, and appear to affect certain races in one area, and another in a different area.

These days it seems there is pretty much a diet for everything imaginable.  Just look at some of these – the 100-Mile Diet, Kosher Diet, Atkins Diet, Crash Diet, Hay Diet, Grapefruit Diet, Jenny Craig, Low Carb Diet, Low Fat Diet, Low Protein Diet, Low Sodium Diet, Raw Foodism, South Beach Diet, Vegan Diet, etc, etc…  You get the point, this list goes on forever pretty much.  What’s this all about?  Well, I have just been wondering… is there any particular diet that is good for people with osteoarthritis?

Well, it is pretty common knowledge that the more you weigh, the more pressure that weight it going to put on your bones and joints, and the more pain that will cause.  There is no direct link, as far as I know, between being overweight and OA, but you can be sure that it will make the condition worse.

So, is there any diet that can help out with OA?  Well, proponents of low-diets would definitely say Atkins or South Beach diets would be a great way to go.  These diets can, and do in fact, help people lose weight in short periods of time, but staying on them for long periods of time can cause deficiencies in nutrients that help maintain healthy bones.

Does anyone have any advice on good diets to use to help ease OA some?

Having OA can be really really painful, and uncomfortable.  Eventually, it can get pretty annoying having to put up with it too.  Well, luckily there are many things that can help slow, ease, and even prevent it.  Some of these things are sort of surprising.. you’d just never really expect them to help out, and the connection to each other just doesn’t make much sense.  Well, this blog is about an oil that helps slow down OA that you would never expect – cod liver oil.

That’s right!  A study in 2004 by Cardiff University proved that cod liver oil helped slow down the destruction of cartilage in the joints of people with OA.  Yup, the study showed that 86% of patients with OA (pre-operative) who took cod liver capsules had the enzymes that cause cartilage damage either completely gone or significantly reduced.  The placebo capsule resulted in 26%.  As an added plus, the patients taking the cod liver oil capsules also saw a reduction in the enzymes that cause joint pains!  So, that is nice too.

Surgeons believe these findings could really reduce the amount of hip and knee replacements carried out each year.  Professor Bruce Caterson even called the findings a “significant breakthrough”.

So, get those cod liver oil capsules people!

Osteoarthritis is no fun.  Everyone who is reading this blog probably either has it or knows someone with it, so you all probably know that it is no fun.  It’s very uncomfortable and painful – especially if you do not take the right steps in helping it.  There are measures you can take to help out with OA a lot.  Having already gone over rest in an earlier blog, another really effective treatment is excercise.

What?  You don’t know any exercises for OA and aren’t sure how to start?  Well, first off, visit your doctor and discuss and exercise plan.  Your doctor should know which exercises are good for you, and possibly any sports you could take part in.  Most of the exercises beginners use include range-of-motion exersises, and low impact aerobics.  While doing the exersises it’s good to have a physical therapist or some sort of athletic trainer watch you.  At least when you first start, after you become used to it, it might not be needed anymore.

Any other tips?  Well, I have a few.

• Range-of-motion exercises are great for warming up.
• A lot of people with arthritis like to apply heat to their joints.
• Strengthening exercises are good, but start with light weights, and do them slowly at first.
• Progress is good too, but make sure it is slow progess.
• Ease off if your joints start to hurt of become to uncomfortable.

Heberden’s node is one of the more common signs of OA.  Though, It doesn’t usually develop during the acute stage – it usually develops during the chronic stage of OA.  Are you worried about you possibly having Herbenden’s nodes and want to know exactly what they are?  Well, A Herbenden’s node is a bony and knobby deformation at the end of the fingers, and was named after the famed British doctor William Heberden after he determined that it differered from gout tophi.  The nodes are caused by the formation of calcific spurs on the joints cartilage, and they usually form from repeated trama to the joints.

Herbenden’s nodes seem to be more common in women then men, and mostly develops while people are middle aged.  During the begining stages, it typically starts out with chronic swelling of the joints, or a painful attack of numbness, redness, and loss of ability.  The pain caused from this will eventually go away, but unfortunately, a permanent bony growth is left on the sufferer’s fingers.  The growth often skews the fingertips sideways.

Sometimes Herbenden’s nodes may also be accompanied with Bouchard’s nodes.  Bouchard’s nodes are a lot like Herbenden’s, but form in the PIP joints, or in more common terms, they middles of your fingers.  They are also associated with OA.

How can you tell if you have OA?  Are you suffering from pain or stiffness and thinking you might have developed it?  Well, there are a number of signs and symptoms that can help you make a more informed decision.

One of the main signs, of course, is having short lasting pains that will often cause stiffness and loss of ability.  The pain takes place in muscles and tendons and is usually either sharp aches or burning sensations.  The most common places the pain will affect are the knees, hands, hips, feet, and spine.  The pain is generally worse at the end of the day and after periods of activity.

As stated earlier, stiffness is another symptom.  Usually, the stiffness occurs after periods of inactivity.  It can be when you wake up in the morning, or just sitting for a long period of time at work, while watching television, etc.  The stiffness usually lasts around an hour.

Other symptoms can include limited joint motion and creaking (the creaking can be followed by pain), and tenderness.  All symptoms can be either minor or severe (or somewhere in the middle).  This can also result in where you are having the problems.  For example, hands don’t really bear much weight and therefore won’t hurt as much as your knees and other joints that bear weight.  Knees (and also hips) with OA will result in more problems as well.

Symptoms are limited to joints with OA.  Usually that is only one area, but sometimes it can be in multiple areas.  Osteoarthritis never has symptoms that affect the entire body.

If you feel you might have Osteoarthritis, please consult your doctor.

It’s very important to schedule periods of rest if you have osteoarthritis.  I can not stress that enough.  Know your limits and rest before the joint pain gets a chance to start.  This is a great way to relieve a lot of the stress that can come from  OA.  Also, a nice perk of this is it’s a good excuse to be lazy.  “Oh, what’s that Mr. Johnson?  You want me to deliver all of these?  Oh, I’m sorry, my arthritis is acting up, so I have to sit around and not do much for a while.”  In all seriousness, though, rest breaks will help you function much easier.

If your legs, especially your knees suffer from OA, one great way of helping yourself rest more while not having to stop as much – get a cane.  A cane will take a lot of pressure of your joints, and help relieve a lot of the pain that you would have without one.  And besides that, they are really sweet looking.

Also, performing various relaxation techniques can be a great help as well.  Not only that, they can help with stress in other ways as well, such as… slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, reducing anger / frustration, and helping concentration.  Some of they ways they help OA include blood circulation to major muscles, and reducing chronic pain.