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Osteoarthritis, Sports Medicine

Kevin deWeber, MD, FAAFP, FACSM, RMSK Reviewed 04/2019
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

A predominantly noninflammatory, slowly progressing, degenerative condition of articular cartilage, sometimes known as “degenerative joint disease” 

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Incidence

Exact inciden...

DIAGNOSIS

  • OA is diagnosed primarily through history and physical examination and confirmed by plain films. It can be classified as primary or secondary.

  • Primary classification (idiopathic): related to ...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • The “core set” of treatments for all patients should include patient education, weight loss if overweight/obese, and an exercise program 4[A].

    ALERT

    Patient education is import...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Follow-up to monitor efficacy of treatments and to try additional treatments if needed may improve outcomes by building a trusting patient-provider relationship.

  • R...

REFERENCES

1
Neogi T, Zhang Y. Epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am.  2013;39(1):1–19.
2
Alentorn-Geli E, Samuelsson K, Musahl V, et al. The association of recreational and compet...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • OA is a degenerative disorder of joints and is predominantly noninflammatory but can have inflammatory flares.

  • Core treatments for all types include patient education on goals and self-...

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