How to differentiate osteoarthritis from other hand pathologies?

What exactly is osteoarthritis?

A chronic, degenerative disease caused by the gradual loss of articular cartilage. This causes swelling and pain in the joint when moving and/or bearing weight or exerting force.

Why, in some people, does it affect the hands more?

It is part of the aging process, but there are factors that accelerate or enhance it. It has a multifactorial origin, having general factors, such as:

  • Age.
  • Sex.
  • Race.
  • Metabolic factors.

In addition to specific factors such as:

  • Manual labor activity.
  • The activity of high demand on the hands.
  • Traumatisms.
  • Repetitive microtrauma.
  • Joint laxity.
  • Bone malformations.
  • etc.

What symptoms does it cause? How can a patient identify that he/she has osteoarthritis?

The most common symptoms for the detection of osteoarthritis:

  • Pain.
  • Stiffness.
  • Increased size and crunching within the joints of the hand and wrist when moving or doing activities.

What does the diagnosis consist of? How to differentiate osteoarthritis from other hand pathologies?

Radiology, scanning or MRI, among other tests, will show typical lesions of this disease. Likewise, these routes, together with others, such as blood tests and clinical examination, allow the physician to differentiate it from other possible diseases that share a similar clinical picture.

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How can osteoarthritis be treated so that the patient can lead a “normal” life, despite the disease?

There are varied and effective treatments that can be carried out with the advice of a physician expert in hand pathologies, which will allow the patient to lead a normal life. Treatments will depend on the evolutionary time, the degree of osteoarthritis and the functional needs of the patient.