Episode Details
Back to Episodes182. Osteoarthritis Isn’t Just “Wear & Tear”… So What Is It, Really?
Description
OA is described as the most prevalent chronic joint disease worldwide, involving progressive degeneration of articular cartilage and sometimes subchondral bone, leading to pain, stiffness, and functional limitations. Rather than simple “wear and tear,” OA is a multifactorial whole-joint condition influenced by inflammatory, mechanical, and metabolic factors, with risk increased by age, obesity, mechanical stress, and joint trauma. The episode reviews how this happens, what physical therapists can do to help patients with this, and how to individualize our plan of care to our patients' tolerance and goals.
00:00 Osteoarthritis Overview
00:56 Defining OA Basics
01:48 Beyond Wear and Tear
03:32 Inflammation and Pain
04:51 Exercise First Line
06:21 Load Management
08:40 Treatment Takeaways
09:39 Wrap Up and Resources
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