Also called: Also called: Degenerative joint disease, OA, Osteoarthrosis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It causes pain, swelling and reduced motion in your joints. It can occur in any joint, but usually it affects your hands, knees, hips or spine.
Osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint. Factors that may cause osteoarthritis include
- Being overweight
- Getting older
- Injuring a joint
Therapies that manage osteoarthritis pain and improve function include exercise, weight control, rest, pain relief, alternative therapies and surgery.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
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Osteoarthritis
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/osteoarthritis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/osteoarthritisspanish/htm/index.htm -
What Is Osteoarthritis?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/osteoarthritis_ff.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Artritis/osteoartritis_ff_espanol.asp
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Arthritis (Osteoarthritis)(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/arthritis.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/Spanish/arthritis-Spanish.html
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Arthritis Advice(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/arthritis.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/Spanish/arthritis-sp.htm
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Do I Have Arthritis?(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Arthritis/tengo_artritis.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Artritis/default.asp
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Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/default.asp
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Osteoarthritis(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/disease-center.php?disease_id=32
Also available in Spanish http://ww2.arthritis.org/afstore/osteoartritis/osteoartritismain.asp
- Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis No Better Than Therapy, Meds(09/10/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69139.html
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Exercise Useful in Treating Hip Osteoarthritis(09/01/2008, American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/press/2008/200809a.asp
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High Risk and Potential Therapy Found for Knee Osteoarthritis(09/01/2008, American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/press/2008/200809b.asp
- Modified MRI Spots Early Osteoarthritis(08/20/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68371.html
- Study Finds New Trends in Incidence Rate of Osteoarthritis(08/01/2008, American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/press/2008/20080731a.asp
- Hip Replacement Boosts Mobility at Any Age(06/27/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66348.html
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Bone X-Ray (Radiography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bonerad&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=bonerad
- Osteoarthritis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/osteo-2.html
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Choosing Pain Medicine for Osteoarthritis(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/healthInfo.cfm?infotype=sg&DocID=4&ProcessID=2
Also available in Spanish http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/repFiles/Osteo_Spanish.pdf
- Helpful Treatments Keep People with Arthritis Moving(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/205_pain.html
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Joint Replacement Surgery and You(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Joint_Replacement/default.asp
- Joint Surgery Center(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/surgery-center.php
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NSAIDs: Summary of Affordable Alternatives(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/nsaids.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/2pager_SpanishNSAIDs.pdf
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Osteoarthritis of the Knee(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/pain/disorders/616.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/pain/disorders/616.printerview.html
- Shoulder Joint Replacement(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00094
- Shoulder Osteoarthritis Treatment(UpToDate) - http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=bone_joi/8530
- Total Hip Replacement(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00377
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Total Knee Replacement(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00389
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=422&topcategory=Spanish
- Types of Surgery(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/types-surgery.php
- Viscosupplementation Treatment for Arthritis(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00217
- 10 Ways You Can Protect Your Joints(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/protect-your-joints.php
- Common Therapies to Consider(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/common-therapies-to-consider.php
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Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/alttherapies/glucosamine.asp
Also available in Spanish http://ww2.arthritis.org/Espanol/enfermedades/alternativas/glucosamina.asp
- Diet and Your Arthritis(Arthritis Foundation) - http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/nutrition/diet.asp
- Physical Medicine & Rehabiliation Doctors Relieve Arthritis Pain(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/pain/arthusa.htm
- Relieving Arthritis(American Occupational Therapy Association) - http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Tips/Conditions/Arthritis/35194.aspx
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What You Need to Know about Arthritis(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=20393&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.apta.org/AM/Images/APTAIMAGES/ContentImages/ptandbody/Arthritis/ArthritisSpainish.pdf
- 51 Ways to Be Good to Your Joints -- Lose Weight(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/joints-weight.php
- Active Approach to Osteoarthritis: Moving Beyond the Pain(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZAJLY5TXD&sub_cat=403
- Bracing: One Treatment Option for Arthritis(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/bracing.php
- Exercise and Arthritis(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/exercise-intro.php
- How to Care for Yourself(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/how-to-care-for-yourself.php
- Pain Center: Understanding Your Pain(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/understanding-pain.php
- Arthritis of the Base of the Thumb(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - http://www.assh.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PatientsPublic/HandConditions/ArthritisBaseoftheThumb/Arthritis_Base_of_t.htm
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Arthritis of the Knee(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00212
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00465
- Arthritis of the Wrist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00218
- Degenerative Changes in the Spine: Is It Arthritis?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/arthritis/AN00124/METHOD=print
- Get Square with Your Feet: Add Arthritis to the Mix(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/foot-care.php
- Osteoarthritis of the Elbow(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00421
- Osteoarthritis of the Hand(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - http://www.assh.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PatientsPublic/HandConditions/ArthritisOsteoarthritis/Arthritis_Osteoarth.htm
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Osteoarthritis of the Hip(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00213
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00469
- Arthritis in African Americans(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-in-african-americans.php
- Barrel Chest: What Causes It?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/barrel-chest/AN00359/METHOD=print
- Bone Spurs(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bone-spurs/DS00627/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Paget's Disease of Bone and Osteoarthritis: Different Yet Related(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Pagets/pagets_osteoarthritis.asp
- Joint Health Quiz(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/joint-health-quiz.php
- About Joint Arthroscopy(Arthritis Foundation) - Requires media player - http://ww2.arthritis.org/conditions/surgerycenter/surgerycenterflash/arthroscopy.html
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Osteoarthritis(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/osteoarthritis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/osteoarthritisspanish/htm/index.htm
- Unicondylar Knee Resurfacing(Arthritis Foundation) - Requires media player - http://ww2.arthritis.org/conditions/surgerycenter/surgerycenterflash/uni.html
- Financial Planning: An Introduction(Arthritis Foundation) - http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/Financial_Planning/Introduction/financial_intro.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteoarthritis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Osteoarthritis%22
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Questions & Answers - NIH Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT)(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/gait/qa.htm
- Heredity and Arthritis(American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/heredity.asp
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"Smurfs" May Cause Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2007/smurf_arthritis.asp
- Glucosamine Sulfate to Treat Hip Osteoarthritis(American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/148/4/I-49
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Imaging Technique May Help with Understanding and Treating Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2007/oa_imaging.asp
- Journal Summaries on Arthritis Research(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/journal-summaries.php
- Osteoarthritis Research: Can Doctors Slow or Reverse Joint Damage?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/osteoarthritis/AR00021/METHOD=print
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Recreational Exercise and Knee Osteoarthritis in Older Adults(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2007/knee_osteoarthritis.asp
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Researchers Develop Sustained-Release Drug Carrier for Treatment of Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2008/Sust_Rel_Drug_for_OA.asp
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Scientists Develop 3-D Fabric to Aid in Joint Cartilage Repair(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2007/cart_repair.asp
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Specialized MRI May Detect Early Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2007/oa_early_detect_MRI.asp
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: A randomized trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18784099&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Hyaluronic acid for osteoarthritis? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18767225&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Information from your family doctor. Glucosamine and osteoarthritis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18756655&tool=MedlinePlus
- Osteoarthritis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=osteoarthritis[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- A-Team: A Glossary of Health Professionals(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/juvenile-arthritis-team-members.php
- Arthritis Glossary(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/arthritis/hic_arthritis_glossary.aspx
- American College of Rheumatology: Geographic Membership Directory(American College of Rheumatology) - http://www.rheumatology.org/directory/geo.asp
- Arthritis Foundation: Local Office Directory(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/chaptermap.php
- American College of Rheumatology - http://www.rheumatology.org/
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Arthritis Foundation - http://www.arthritis.org/
Also available in Spanish http://ww2.arthritis.org/Espanol/default.asp
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
- Arthritis Today(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-today-magazine.php
- FASTATS: Arthritis(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/arthrits.htm
- Knee Osteoarthritis Statistics(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00399
- Arthritis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/arthritis.html
- Rheumatoid Arthritis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/rheumatoidarthritis.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Osteoarthritis is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/