Is Osteoarthritis Related to Hormonal Change?

There are many systems working in cooperation with each other in the human body. Out of them, one is the endocrine system. This system regulates the exchange and transmission of hormones within the body.

In this article, we will talk about the causative association between osteoarthritis and hormonal changes.

What is osteoarthritis?

This is a joint disorder that occurs to joints because of natural wear and tear or degenerative changes. In this condition, the soft tissue of your joints known as cartilage wears down.

Cartilage is a protective part of joints. If we talk about the knee, it has two of these protective parts, namely, menisci and articular cartilage.

Menisci are flexible and soft tissue pads between your knee joint bones that mainly cushion the joint parts and also absorb shocks.

When these soft parts degenerate over time due to natural function and external traumas, your joint bones like your knee start rubbing against each other and it causes arthritis, which is nothing but the condition of joint inflammation.

Osteoarthritis is the inflammation of a joint because of natural or traumatic degeneration of cartilage or menisci.

Types of OA

Osteoarthritis can be classified into the following categories:

• Hand Osteoarthritis
• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Hip Osteoarthritis
• Neck Osteoarthritis
• Lower Back Osteoarthritis

While osteoarthritis can occur in the spine, hands, and neck, this condition is most common in the knee and hip. This is because your joints of the hip and knee are weight-bearing. They have to bear the weight of your entire body while you are physically active, especially walking.

Thus, because of that, the knee and hip are more prone to wear down faster than other joints in your skeletal system.

If you want to slow down this natural wear and tear or degenerative process, make sure you rule out the condition of genetic obesity and start working on your weight. Try to keep it within the safe limit.

Next, eat a calcium and vitamin D-rich diet as it is crucial for your bone health. If you are a young person in your 20s, calcium consumption is vital as it will help you achieve maximum bone density before you reach the age of skeletal maturity.

And exercise regularly, especially strength training.

Causes of osteoarthritis

There aren’t so many causes of this form of arthritis. Yet, the following are some of the causes of osteoarthritis.

Age: This is the most common cause of osteoarthritis. As we age, most of our body parts wear down or degenerate causing the concerned pain to feel painful, tender, inflamed and physically immobile.

Obesity: If you are overweight or obese, you are always at high risk of developing the condition of osteoarthritis over a period of time.

It is because your above-the-waist weight will put a lot of strain on your hip and knee while you walk causing them to wear down faster than otherwise.

Joint Injuries: If you have recently involved yourself in some traumatising experience, ensure that you seek medical attention as soon as possible as over time it might cause a lot of joint complications including osteoarthritis.

Overuse from Repetitive Movements of the Joint: Overexertion and too much weight training can also speed up the process of cartilage or soft tissue wear and tear as time passes.

Congenital Deformities: Suppose your one knee has some deformity and thus your normal leg and knee have to bear the weight for both while you walk, run, jog, etc. In that case, the cartilage of your normal knee will wear down faster.

Family History: If your family has a history of osteoarthritis, you are also likely to develop this condition.

Can this condition be caused by hormonal change?

This question has no simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Primarily, osteoarthritis is not something that is caused by hormonal changes as it is an age-related degenerative disorder.

Still, a small amount of research has shown that hormonal changes can contribute to the development of osteoarthritis, especially in women.

For instance, oestrogen has been stated to preserve cartilage along with the fact that a drop in oestrogen after menopause may increase the risk of osteoarthritis in women.

Thus, taking such research into consideration, we can partially confirm that osteoarthritis can be caused due to hormonal fluctuations.

Treatments of osteoarthritis

The following are some of the treatments for osteoarthritis.

Pain Medications:

Your orthopedic doctor can easily take care of your osteoarthritis if it is not so severe with the help of painkillers.

Physiotherapy:

This therapy is also known as physical therapy. In this therapy, drugs and medicines are avoided and joint pain is tried to be treated with the help of exercise, massage, and ice-heat temperature.

Walking Aid:

If you are comfortable, an OA specialist can also recommend a walking aid to relieve your joints of all inflammatory problems. You can use canes, walkers, and braces.

Mild Stretching:

It also helps relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Injections: To offer pain relief and joint lubrication, corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid injections can be injected into the concerned joint.

Surgeries: Replacements are the last option. If your knee and hip damage is too much, an orthopedic surgeon will suggest a replacement. It is also known as joint arthroplasty.

A replacement is of two types; it could be total or partial. In total joint replacement, the entire joint is resurfaced after osteotomy with the help of artificial parts while in the case of partial replacement, it is done partially.

Before surgery, it is vital that you do a great deal of research as it will take time for you to find the top knee replacement doctor in India. Giving it time must not be an issue because finding the best surgeon is the top priority before you undergo surgical intervention.

Benefits of replacements

A replacement has several benefits as you don’t have to feel the pain and discomfort around your joint suffering from the condition of osteoarthritis. After the surgery, you will be able to move the operated joint without any pain easily and comfortably.

You can walk on your own and that is the most important aspect of a replacement. You will be able to live an active lifestyle once again.

Conclusion

If you need to meet a doctor for a consultation with respect to your joint pain and inflammation that has lasted for a long period of time causing too much distress in your life, visit the following link: best treatment for osteoarthritis.

Ensure you don’t ignore any signs of joint discomfort and meet the best orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible because overlooking medical conditions can cause bigger complications.