osteoarthritis

(noun)

A form of arthritis affecting mainly older people, caused by chronic degeneration of the cartilage and synovial membrane of the joints leading to pain and stiffness.

Related Terms

Examples of osteoarthritis in the following topics:

  • Joints and Aging

    • Aging is a common cause of chronic joint pain, as wear and tear from years of use results in inflammation and osteoarthritis.
    • Analysis of skeletal material from archaeological sites has shown that an individual's primary activities can be deduced from development of osteoarthritis.
    • Joint pain occurs in all age groups, but becomes more common with age as wear and tear on the joints from years of use results in inflammation and osteoarthritis.
    • In cases of severe osteoarthritis, surgical joint replacement is often recommended.
    • X-ray image of osteoarthritis of the big toe.

  • Rheumatism and Arthritis

    • The most common form, osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), is a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint, or age.
    • Severe osteoarthritis and osteopenia of the carpal joint and first carpometacarpal joint.

  • Patellofemoral Stress Syndrome

    • Secondary causes of PF Syndrome are fractures, internal knee derangement, osteoarthritis of the knee, and bony tumors in or around the knee.

  • Muscular Atrophy

  • Arthroplasty

    • For example, a hip joint that is affected by osteoarthritis may be replaced entirely (total hip arthroplasty) with a prosthetic hip.

  • Running Injuries

    • Recent studies have shown that runners do not have more osteoarthritis than people who do not run.