Osteoarthritis is a common joint condition that causes pain and stiffness in the joints. It often affects the hands, knees, hips, back, and neck. Many people wonder if they can live a long life with osteoarthritis. Here is an in-depth look at what osteoarthritis is, its symptoms, treatment options, and tips for living your best life with osteoarthritis.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. Over time, the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of bones wears down, causing bones to rub together. This results in pain, swelling, loss of motion, and bone spurs.
OA can affect any joint, but it most commonly affects the hands, knees, hips, back, and neck. Joints that have been injured or stressed over time are more likely to develop OA.
What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?
The most common symptoms of OA include:
- Joint pain that worsens with use
- Stiffness after inactivity or upon waking up
- Loss of flexibility and range of motion
- Swelling around joints
- Bone spurs or extra bone growth
- Grating or cracking sound with joint movement
The symptoms can range from mild to severe, and may come and go. OA symptoms tend to gradually worsen over time without treatment.
What causes osteoarthritis?
OA results from a combination of factors that break down cartilage over time. Risk factors include:
- Older age
- Obesity
- Joint injury
- Genetics
- Repetitive stress on joints
- Abnormal anatomy
As we age, cartilage becomes more brittle and prone to damage. Obesity places extra weight and pressure on joints. Injuries, chronic overuse, and genetics also play a role in cartilage breakdown.
How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?
To diagnose OA, doctors review symptoms and perform a physical exam. They may also order imaging tests like x-rays, MRIs or CT scans to get a clearer view of the joint damage. Blood tests help rule out other forms of arthritis.
On x-rays, OA appears as:
- Narrowed joint space
- Bone spurs
- Hardened regions around joints
MRIs and CT scans provide more detailed images to assess cartilage, bone, and other joint structures.
What treatments are available for osteoarthritis?
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but various treatments can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Treatment options include:
- Medications – Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or NSAIDs help relieve pain and inflammation. For moderate to severe OA, prescription medications may be needed.
- Physical therapy – PT helps improve strength, flexibility, and function. Stretching, range of motion exercises, and strengthening muscles around the joints alleviates stiffness.
- Braces and supports – These support joints and improve stability and alignment. Knee braces and shoe inserts take pressure off arthritic joints.
- Weight loss – Losing excess pounds reduces stress on weight-bearing joints like hips and knees.
- Heat and cold – Alternating heat and ice therapy helps decrease joint swelling and stiffness.
- Joint injections – Corticosteroid injections can temporarily relieve inflammation and pain.
- Surgery – If other treatments fail, surgery like joint repair, fusion, or replacement may be an option.
Treatment plans are tailored to each person’s specific symptoms and joint(s) affected. A combination of lifestyle changes, therapy, medications, and possibly surgery helps manage OA.
Can you live a long life with osteoarthritis?
Yes, you can still live a long, fulfilling life with osteoarthritis. While there is no cure, early diagnosis and proper management of symptoms allows people with OA to remain active and maintain their independence. Here are some key tips for living well with osteoarthritis:
- Stay active and exercise regularly – Low-impact activities like walking, cycling, and swimming keep joints mobile.
- Maintain a healthy weight – Extra pounds put more pressure on joints, so losing weight helps.
- Use assistive devices – Canes, walkers, raised toilet seats, and jar openers make daily tasks easier.
- Pace yourself and take breaks – Don’t overdo activities, and balance activity with rest periods.
- Listen to your body – Avoid activities that cause excessive pain that lasts for hours.
- Use pain medication wisely – Use OTC meds judiciously for bad flare ups.
- Try complementary therapies – Massage, acupuncture, and heat/ice therapy help some people.
- Communicate with your doctor – Report new or worsening symptoms so treatments can be adjusted.
- Modify your home – Install grab bars, railings, and chairs with armrests to ease daily tasks.
- Join a support group – Connecting with others who have OA provides support.
While OA is a progressive condition, people can still live active, independent lives for decades with proper self-care and working closely with their healthcare providers. Lifestyle changes, assistive devices, medications, therapy, and possibly surgery all help manage symptoms over the long-term.
What is the life expectancy with osteoarthritis?
There are no definitive statistics on life expectancy with osteoarthritis. However, research shows that OA does not appear to reduce overall life expectancy for most people. Some key points about OA and life expectancy:
- People with OA generally have a normal life span.
- OA becomes more common with older age, but is not considered a direct cause of mortality.
- Severe OA may impact quality of life before lifespan.
- Obesity can worsen OA symptoms and complicate treatment.
- Good control of symptoms helps maintain physical function and independence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), OA itself does not increase mortality risk. However, some related factors can impact longevity:
- Obesity – Being overweight stresses joints and worsens OA.
- Sedentary lifestyle – Inactivity can hasten disability from OA.
- Opioid overuse – Addiction and accidental overdose risk.
- Falls – Joint instability may increase fall risk.
Maintaining a healthy body weight, staying active, using assistive devices, and managing pain safely all contribute to a longer life with OA.
Knee osteoarthritis life expectancy
For those with knee osteoarthritis specifically, studies show that the condition does not decrease overall life expectancy. However, severe knee OA can negatively impact quality of life at a younger age if it leads to loss of mobility and independence.
Regular exercise, weight control, assistive devices, and knee braces and supports allow people to remain active despite knee arthritis. For advanced knee OA, joint replacement surgery often significantly improves mobility and reduces pain.
Hip osteoarthritis life expectancy
Like knee OA, research has not found hip osteoarthritis to reduce overall lifespan. But severe hip arthritis can impair mobility at a younger age, negatively affecting quality of life.
Non-surgical treatments aim to preserve hip joint cartilage and maintain flexibility as long as possible. For advanced hip OA, total hip replacement is highly effective at relieving pain and restoring function.
With proper management of symptoms, people can maintain an active, independent lifestyle for many years despite hip arthritis.
Prevalence of osteoarthritis by age
Osteoarthritis becomes more common with increasing age. Some prevalence statistics by age group:
- Age 18-34 – 7%
- Age 35-49 – 30%
- Age 50-64 – 44%
- Over age 65 – 70%
Before age 45, OA is more common in men. After age 45, it is more prevalent in women. Heavier weight also increases OA risk across all age groups.
OA can occur in younger adults, especially if they have a prior joint injury. But degenerative joint changes are most common after age 50. By age 65, about two-thirds of people have some evidence of OA.
Progression of osteoarthritis over time
Osteoarthritis tends to slowly worsen over many years. However, the speed of progression varies significantly among individuals based on factors like:
- Joint(s) affected
- Severity at diagnosis
- Age
- Obesity
- Activity level
- Genetic factors
- Coexisting health conditions
In general, researchers describe the progression of OA in 4 main stages:
Stage 1:
Early degeneration of cartilage. Some inflammation and thickening of joint lining. Minimal symptoms at this stage.
Stage 2:
Progression of cartilage loss. Bone under the cartilage starts changing. Joint space narrows. Symptoms of pain and stiffness develop.
Stage 3:
Significant cartilage deterioration and loss. Bones begin rubbing together. More intense pain and impaired mobility. Bone spurs develop.
Stage 4:
Severe joint damage. Almost complete loss of cartilage covering the bones. Joint deformity, chronic pain, and disability. Quality of life impacted.
Mild cases may plateau at stage 2 for years, only progressing slowly. Severe forms advance faster to advanced stages within 5 to 10 years. Treatment aims to slow this progression and protect joint function.
Does osteoarthritis ever go into remission?
Unfortunately, there is no way to truly cure osteoarthritis or make it go into remission. OA involves permanent degenerative changes in the joint structures that cannot be reversed. However, periods of remission from symptoms can occur.
During symptom remission, people experience:
- Reduced joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation
- Improved flexibility and mobility
- Ability to participate in more activities
- Less need for medications or assistive devices
Remission can last for months or even years before symptoms worsen again. OA may seem to disappear on x-rays during this time, but the joint damage is still there. Remission is more likely with milder cases treated early.
Factors allowing symptom remission include:
- Losing excess weight to reduce joint stress
- Regular exercise to build strength and flexibility
- Not overusing or injuring arthritic joints
- Using anti-inflammatory medications short-term
- Joint injections providing temporary relief
Treatment focuses on safely managing symptoms in the short-term and slowing progression long-term. Even without remission, living an active life with OA is possible with proper self-care.
Can you recover from osteoarthritis?
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, so the condition cannot be completely reversed or recovered from. The degenerative joint changes of OA are permanent. However, symptoms like pain and stiffness can be well-managed to improve quality of life.
While the underlying disease remains, many people achieve excellent symptom control and are able to maintain an active lifestyle. With a multifaceted management plan, recovery from osteoarthritis is possible in these ways:
- Recover mobility – Physical therapy builds strength and flexibility for increased range of motion.
- Recover function – Assistive devices allow people to maintain independence in daily tasks.
- Recover pace – Learning to pace activities and take breaks avoids overexertion.
- Recover stability – Losing excess weight takes pressure off joints.
- Recover pain control – Medications, injections, and surgery can effectively relieve pain.
Ongoing communication with healthcare providers allows people with osteoarthritis to make lifestyle adjustments as needed and find symptom relief. This allows them to recover abilities and live well.
Conclusion
Osteoarthritis is a progressive condition that currently has no cure. It causes gradual deterioration of the joints over many years. However, the prognosis for living a long, fulfilling life with OA is good. By partnering closely with healthcare providers, staying active, losing excess weight, using assistive devices, and modifying activities, most people with osteoarthritis can enjoy many healthy years. While OA symptoms often worsen slowly, a variety of effective treatments help control pain, maintain mobility, and recover abilities. With proper self-care and management, osteoarthritis does not have to limit lifespan or quality of life.