Protect your joints and relieve osteoarthritis aches and pains. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful. Use topical ointment Treat discomfort with an ointment or cream containing 0.025 to 0.075% capsaicin four times a day over painful joints: make sure not to let capsaicin...
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that protects and cushions the joints breaks down over time. Eventually, the bones-formerly separated by the cartilage-rub against each other. This results in damage to the tissue and bone and causes painful joint symptoms. Osteoarthritis is common in the joints of...
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that protects and cushions the joints breaks down over time. Eventually, the bones-formerly separated by the cartilage-rub against each other. This results in damage to the tissue and bone and causes painful joint symptoms. Osteoarthritis is common in the finger and...
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that protects and cushions joints breaks down over time. Eventually, the bones, formerly separated by cartilage, rub against each other. This results in damage to the tissue and bone, which causes the painful joint symptoms of osteoarthritis. The joint space in this...
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that protects and cushions the joints breaks down over time. As the cartilage wears down, the bone surfaces rub against each other. This damages the tissue and bone, which then causes pain. Osteoarthritis is common in the knee joints.
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that protects and cushions the joints breaks down over time. Eventually, the bones-formerly separated by the cartilage-rub against each other. This results in damage to the tissue and bone and causes painful joint symptoms. Osteoarthritis is common in the joints of...
Explains how aerobic, strength, and range-of-motion exercises help with arthritis, and offers tips for how to get started with these types of exercise. Provides tips for using heat and ice after exercise. Recommends checking with a doctor or physical therapist before starting new exercise.
Learn what osteoarthritis is.
For moderate to severe pain from osteoarthritis, try applying heat and cold to the affected joints. Experiment with these heat and cold techniques until you find what helps you most. Apply heat 2 or 3 times a day for 20 to 30 minutes, using a heating pad, hot shower, or hot pack. Heat seems to be effective for pain and...
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a condition in which a piece of bone or cartilage (or both) inside a joint loses blood supply and dies. It may be caused by injury or by overuse from an activity that repeatedly jams one bone end against another. What are the symptoms? Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) may not cause any...
An osteoma is a rare noncancerous tumor of the bone. Most cases are diagnosed in children and young adults ages 5 to 25. About half of all osteomas affect the long leg bone (femur), but any bone in the body may be involved, including the skull. An osteoma in the spine can affect the bony ring that protects the spinal...
Osteomalacia is a condition in which the bones become soft. The cause of osteomalacia is not getting enough calcium or vitamin D (vitamin D deficiency). A deficiency in vitamin D leads to the loss of calcium and phosphorus, both of which are necessary for making bones hard and strong. A vitamin D deficiency leading to...
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone, often developing from a wound or after an open fracture in which the bone pokes through the skin. It may also develop after an illness or injury that damaged the skin near or over a bone. Symptoms may include: A general feeling of illness (malaise). Fever, chills, and sweating...
Osteopathic medicine focuses on a whole-person approach to treatment and care. Osteopathic physicians (also called doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs) are doctors who practice the full scope of modern medicine like medical doctors (MDs). They have special training in the connection between the body's nerves...
Osteopathic physicians (also called doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs) are doctors who practice the full scope of modern medicine like medical doctors (MDs). They have a whole-person approach to treatment and care, with special training in the connection between the body's nerves, muscles, and bones. DOs can...
Osteoporosis is a disease that makes your bones thin, brittle, and easy to break. It's related to the loss of bone mass that happens as a natural part of aging. It's most common in women who have gone through menopause, but it can also occur in men. As osteoporosis gets worse, it can lead to broken bones in the hip...
Covers causes and symptoms of osteoporosis in women. Looks at treatment with medicine. Includes steps to slow bone loss with exercise, eating healthy foods, and quitting smoking. Covers protecting yourself from falling to prevent broken bones.
Stand tall against osteoporosis. No matter what your age, it’s never too late to stop bone loss now for better posture and fewer fractures down the road. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful. Pump it up Make weight-bearing exercise a regular habit to increase bone density...
Primary Remedies Silicea (also called Silica) People who need this remedy are often nervous, easily tired, very chilly, and tend to sweat at night. They have a refined or delicate appearance, and often have weakness in the spine. Their injuries are slow to heal, and they tend to have a low resistance to infection...
Whether a person develops osteoporosis depends on the thickness of the bones ( bone density ) in early life, as well as health, diet, and physical activity later in life. Things that increase your risk for osteoporosis include: Your age. Bones naturally become thinner as you get older. Having gone through menopause...
During childhood and teen years, new bone grows faster than existing bone is absorbed by the body. After age 30, this process begins to reverse. As a natural part of aging, bone dissolves and is absorbed faster than new bone is made, and bones become thinner. You are more likely to have osteoporosis if you did not reach...
If you or your doctor thinks you may be at risk for osteoporosis, you may have a screening test if you have: A broken bone (fracture) from a minor injury and the fracture may have been caused by osteoporosis. Another medical condition that is known to cause bone thinning. This includes hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid...
Learn why taking your osteoporosis medicine is so important.
Guides through decision to have a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test for osteoporosis. Explains DXA test. Includes risk factors for osteoporosis you can and cannot change. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.
Guides you through decision to take bisphosphonate medicines for osteoporosis. Lists medicine names like alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel). Lists risks and benefits. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Disease Overview. Osteosarcoma occurs predominantly in adolescents and young adults. Review of data from the National Cancer Institute's National Childhood Cancer Registry resulted in an estimated osteosarcoma incidence rate of 5.4 cases per 1 million each year in people aged 0 to 19 years and 4 cases per 1 million...
Osteosarcoma and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) of bone are diseases in which malignant (cancer) cells form in bone. Osteosarcoma usually starts in osteoblasts, which are a type of bone cell that becomes new bone. Osteosarcoma is most common in adolescents. It commonly forms in the ends of the long bones of...
Osteotomy and Paget's disease Osteotomy ("bone cutting") is a procedure in which a surgeon removes, or sometimes adds, a wedge of bone near a damaged joint. This shifts weight from an area where there is deformed or damaged bone to an area where there is more or healthier bone. In Paget's disease, bone tissue breakdown...
Covers surgery (osteotomy) to remove a wedge of bone near a damaged joint. Looks at why it is done and what to expect after surgery. Covers physical therapy. Includes info on how well it works and the risks of surgery.
An ostomy is a surgical procedure in which an opening is created in the body for the discharge of body wastes. The term ostomy is used to describe both the procedure and the opening that is created during the procedure. An ostomy is done when the digestive system or urinary system is unable to remove waste from the...
