what is Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis – isn’t all arthritis the same?

Arthritis is used as a general term to describe stiffness, pain, and inflammation in the joints but in truth there are many types of arthritis which produce differing symptoms.

In this blog post we are going to focus on two types of arthritis - Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. They both affect joints in the body but in very different ways.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

OA is a degenerative type of arthritis where joint cartilage breaks down over time causing stiffness, swelling and joint pain. This is the most common type of arthritis and usually affects larger weight bearing joints such as the hip, usually on one side of the body.

It is more common as we get older and after previous joint injury or surgery. Having a higher BMI, diabetes or previous gout attacks are also risk factors for OA.

The pain can feel worse with activity and better with rest and affected joints can produce pain at night.

The symptoms can take years to build as the arthritis develops slowly over time. As the OA progresses, bone spurs and subchondral cysts can develop on the joints which can be seen on MRI scans.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

RA is an inflammatory type of arthritis caused by the body attacking its own tissues, producing inflammation. It is an auto-immune condition. It usually affects smaller joints such as the fingers and symptoms are usually symmetrical occurring on both sides of the body at the same time.

Symptoms can come on very quickly and can vary in intensity. Affected joints can feel very painful, stiff, and swollen and can get worse with rest and better with movement.

RA usually runs in families and is 2-3 times more common in women. As it is an inflammatory condition, blood markers for inflammation such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are usually high, along with a positive Rheumatoid factor (RF).

Alongside the musculoskeletal symptoms, RA can cause symptoms in the rest of the body such as tiredness, high temperature, sweating and dry eyes.

Treatment

It is worth having a full assessment and getting an accurate diagnosis for your symptoms so you can find the best course of treatment for you.

For both OA and RA early detection can be helpful so treatments and advice can be introduced, hopefully reducing the risk of joint damage and overall impact of the condition.

In many cases, RA requires medication such as disease-modifying anti-rheumatoid drugs (DMARDs), steroids and other biological treatments.

Physical therapy such as Osteopathy can also help to treat the symptoms associated with arthritis. At the clinic we help people with various types of arthritis with treatment, advice and exercises all centred around the individual’s needs. If required, we can refer for testing and imaging but often this is not necessary.

If you’d like more information or think we could help you, please contact us today.

By Stephanie Gammell. M.Ost. General Osteopathic Council Registered

Joint Replacements and osteopaths

There are a number of patients who often present to our Osteopathy clinic for the treatment and management of arthritic conditions that may eventually require a joint replacement.  Often these clients will ask the Osteopaths for their opinion on this and whether it is the right thing to do.  This is often a difficult question to answer because every individual is different.  Arthritis can affect people both physically and mentally and the pain it may cause can be extremely draining.

Other than advice from a health professional, it is also important to speak to others that have also had the same procedure.  These are big operations and the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ must be looked at.  Most importantly, if you do decide to undergo an operation like this, you must be prepared to do the rehabilitation afterwards.  This gives your body the very best chances of healing well and coping with your new joint.

Gastrocnemius function – How it assists in knee extension

Gastrocnemius function – How it assists in knee extension

This attaches above the knee into the femur and into the achilles tendon. It acts in a similar way to soleus, but as it attaches to the femur, its influence on the proximal joints and structures is more significant.

Gastrocnemius decelerates internal rotation of the femur when the foot is on the ground, but it is lengthened at both ends. One end in the frontal plane, the other end in the transverse plane. In the sagittal plane, it controls ankle dorsiflexion.

The knee flexion is transformed into knee extension by a number of muscles along with mass and momentum. As the front leg in gait is moving through towards swing phase, the tibia is slowed down by eccentric lengthening of the gastrocnemius and a number of other calf muscles. This slowing along with the momentum of the body creates knee extension as it pulls back on the distal femur as ankle dorsiflexion is decelerated.

So in function and gait…. the Gastrocnemius are a powerful knee extensor!