Osteoarthritis

Question 1

What is osteoarthritis?

Answer 1

Non-inflammatory degenerative progressive destruction of cartilage from repeated mechanical forces

Question 2

What are some risk factors for OA?

Answer 2

High intensity labour, age

Question 3

What joints are usually affected by OA?

Answer 3

Knee and hip

Question 4

How does OA often present?

Answer 4

Painful joints stiff for 30 or less in the morning and gets worse throughout the day. Distal Heberden nodes. Proximal Bouchard nodes

Question 5

What joints are usually affected by OA in post-menopausal females?

Answer 5

DIP, PIP, CMC and knees

Question 6

What X-ray findings are typical of OA?

Answer 6

LOSS
Loss of joint space
Osteophytes
Sclerosis
Subchondral cysts

Question 7

What does sclerosis look like?

Answer 7

Whiter areas

Question 8

What general treatment can you do?

Answer 8

Exercise to improve local muscle strength and general aerobic fitness, weight loss if overweight

Question 9

What analgesia will you give to start?

Answer 9

Regular paracetamol +/- topical NSAIDs

Question 10

What injection can you give?

Answer 10

Intra-articular steroids

Question 11

What non-pharmalogical treatment would you start?

Answer 11

Physiotherapy, occupational therapy

Question 12

What surgical option is there?

Answer 12

Joint replacement

Question 13

What are potential complications?

Answer 13

Destruction of the joint and loss of function