Diseases That Mimic Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Joint pain is the main symptom and sign of osteoarthritis (OA), a common /even the most common arthritis form. Unfortunately, there are numerous of different health problem /conditions that can be a trigger /cause behind joint pain. In other words, the diagnosis for this joint disease is not enough only with the examination of the symptoms, several tests are required. The following are some diseases that can mimic OA symptoms.

Though OA is the most common type, it is not the only one. There are other types of arthritis that can generate the similar symptoms. These include:

1. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is also another common form of arthritis. Experts believe that it is linked to the abnormality of patient’s body immune system. To learn more the differences between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, see this guideline in general!
2. Gout arthritis! This type is caused by excessive uric acid in the joint, though not all people with this situation develop gout. People with gout need to stay with diet low in uric acid.
3. Juvenile RA! It is more common to be found in children aged 16 or younger. Juvenile RA itself has several types that can cause different several different complications.
4. Psoriatic arthritis, a complication from a chronic skin disorder called psoriasis.
5. Reactive arthritis. It is a joint disease triggered /caused by an infection that occurs not in the joint, but in other organs such as urinary tract and intestines.
6. Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease or familiar called as pseudogout. Almost similar to gout, it is also a condition associated with the accumulation of crystal deposits in the joint.
7. Septic arthritis! A kind of condition caused by infection – fungal, viral, or bacterial infection. Typically, it affects hips and knee – with elderly people and infants are the most vulnerable groups.

They are common problems that can share similar symptoms and signs. But actually, these infections affect different parts of the body.

Sprain injury usually affects ligament (most commonly ligament of ankle and knee), a fibrous tissue that plays a key role in connecting and supporting the joint. This tough tissue has important role to help connect one bone to another.

Then for strain injury, it affects your tendon or muscles in the joint. Tendon also has important function to help support the movement of the joint. Most likely, this tearing /stretching injury occurs in the thigh and lower back.

Your daily activities can be a trigger of sprains and strains. These include walking, running, landing after falling, or playing some games /sports such has tennis, gymnastics, or even golf. But these injuries should be able to be eliminated if you do a warm up before exercise!

It is a joint problem that occurs due to the inflammation or irritation of fluid-filled sacs in the affected joint. This fluid is medically called as bursae. It is an important liquid to help support the motion of the joint because it is required to cushion some essential parts of the joint such as muscles, bones, and tendons.

Most likely, bursitis affects shoulder, hip, and elbow. Sometime it also affects the joints of the big toe, knee, and heel.

The irritated /inflamed bursae is usually caused by repetitive position /motions such as repetitive motions with your hand when throwing baseball, extensive kneeling due to a daily job /task, long periods leaning on the elbows, and so on. The problem also can be a complication from inflammatory conditions such as gout, RA, infection, – or due to trauma /injury to the affected joint.

Several decades ago, fibromyalgia is thought as not real disease. But today, it has been recognized in medical community, though the exact cause is unclear yet.

It is a kind of disorder that typically characterized by pain (widespread pain) that can come with other discomfort symptoms, particularly such as fatigue. Currently, experts say that it may be linked to the abnormality of the brain in interpreting the painful signals.

For in-depth information about fibromyalgia, here is one of helpful guides!

In osteoarthritis, joint pain is triggered by the cartilage loss that degenerates and wears away as the age – though this theory is now debatable since some new studies suggest that OA may not only about mechanical problem as the age. In fact, not all elderlies develop this kind of arthritis.

A joint pain also can be a signal of dislocation, a condition of when the end of bone in the joint dislocates or isn’t in the location of where it should. Typical, dislocation is caused by an injury or accident that forces one /two bones in the joint out of the normal positions.

These include: