Question: what is osteoarthritis?

Vedia Can answered on 15 Jun 2015:

Hi Shmila!!

Hope you are well.

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of the protective cartilage (the shiny cover) that covers the surface of your joints. For example, imagine your kneecap starts making a weird clicking sound when you bend it, or starts to hurt so much that you can’t walk or stand on it for too long. This is because the cartilage that is covering the joint has been damaged or has worn out, and your bones are directly hitting each other (this is why you will feel very bad pain!). This occurs usually due to old age or a sports injury. To diagnose osteoarthritis is relatively simple; an x-ray of the affected joint is enough for the doctor to evaluate the extent of the Osteoarthritis. If they see that the bones are touching each other (via the x-ray) and you are missing a protective cushion between the joint they will advise you to have a knee-replacement (this is where they replace the worn out joint with a prosthetic cap). Hope this explains what Osteoarthritis is!

Best Wishes,

Vedia