There are many people who struggle to wake up or move in the morning: it could be due to a degenerative disease.
Waking up early in the morning soon it is an ugly beast for many people, whether for a trip, to satisfy their work routine or study. For some, however, it’s not just about not wanting to give up the blankets and pillow, but about one serious difficulty and stiffness in moving.
The joints are hard, painful, almost blocked and, especially when it concerns the lower limbs, it is really difficult to force yourself to move them. It’s not laziness, but one common degenerative pathology, but not for this reason to be underestimated. We are talking about theosteoarthritis.
The pathology numbers indicate that they are well 4 million people suffer from it in Italydata that are increasing disproportionately in the world, 240 million, of which 10% are men and 18% of women who are over 60 years old. Even though there is a lot of talk about it, there are still many live with adverse symptoms: this is why morning stiffness becomes a essential wake-up call not to be ignored and which requires some very precise tests for diagnosis.
Diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis: be careful not to make it worse
Mario Vetrano, associate professor of physical and rehabilitation medicine at the Sapienza University of Rome, as reported by ‘Diva e Donna’, said bluntly: “It is essential to recognize the warning signs early to arrive at one timely diagnosis and start effective treatment“.
In fact, hurry limits the progression of joint damage, which could be essential to preserve the knees, hip and spine – among the most affected areas of all – from the progression of the pathology. Even just a few weeks can increase the quality of life and not alter patients’ routines, one of the main objectives in the management of chronically ill patients.
But how should we proceed? The diagnosis of osteoarthritis is clinical, through the interview with those who come to visit, theanamnesis, the collection of family history, and also instrumental. A well-made x-ray image will suffice to verify that it is indeed arthrosis: the presence of osteophytes and the reduction of joint space These are some of the essential points. Only in some cases is it also required magnetic resonance imaging (RMI), which can indicate early cartilage alterations.
The treatment path aims to preserve further damage to the joints. They indicate each other healthy habits (sport, Mediterranean diet, lose weight, stop smoking) and we start with slow-acting symptomatic drugsand then move on to anti-inflammatories, to infiltrations of cortisone or hyaluronic acid, based on the case, which is accompanied by rehabilitation. In more serious and advanced cases, opioids are used to at least ease the pain.
