Most adults over age 60 will have some osteoarthritis—the most common type of arthritis.
More than 53 million Americans have osteoarthritis, which happens when the flexible tissue at the ends of bones wears down. The good news? OA can be treated.
Find out if you have osteoarthritis
Get tested for other types of arthritis to be sure you have OA . Give your doctor a really good description of your symptoms, such as:
- Which joints are bothering you?
- How long have you had the stiffness or pain?
- When is the stiffness or pain the worst (in the morning, after sitting for a while or after exercising)?
- What relieves the stiffness or pain ?
- What other symptoms do you have?
First steps in osteoarthritis treatment
- Lose weight. Excess weight puts stress on your joints. If you lose even 5-10% of your body weight, you may have less OA pain.
- Try exercise. Exercise can reduce pain and help prevent your OA from getting worse. Talk to your health care provider before working out.
- Use assistive devices. A cane or walker can take some weight off your joints and prevent falls. Knee braces or shoe inserts can stabilize the muscles and ligaments to relieve pain.
- Relieve pain with therapy. Apply heat, ice packs or rotate both to the painful joint. Massages or physical therapy can also ease the pain.
Over-the-counter medications
Talk to your pharmacist before taking medications to avoid side effects or drug interactions.
Supplements
- Glucosamine: Reduces the pain with a natural chemical
- Chondroitin: Decreases arthritis pain with a natural substance manufactured from animals
Topicals (skin-based)
- Capsaicin cream: Uses extract from hot peppers to ease pain
- Camphor: Increases blood flow and reduces pain and swelling
- Mentol/ methyl salicylate: Cools then warms the skin, which interferes with pain signals
Medications
- Acetaminophen: Relieves mild to moderate pain.
- Ibuprofen: Eases pain by blocking production of natural substances that cause inflammation
Talk to your doctor about prescription medications or joint injections if you’re unable to find relief. Surgery, such as a joint replacement, should be your last resort.
Work with your doctor and pharmacist to help ease your OA symptoms.
By Karen Babos, D.O., M.B.A.
Karen Babos is the Vice President of Clinical Programs and Quality for Walgreens. She is triple-board certified in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and hospice and palliative care.
