What is degenerated hip & joint disease - Knee & Hip Problems Message Board

shellypie2001 · 12-07-2005, 09:36 PM

Can anyone tell me what degenerated hip & joint disease is??? What are the sign of having it & exactely what does it do. My dr tells me that is what is causing all the pain in my hips & joints but I know nothing about it. Any info anyone can provide would be appreciated, thank you....

Tobias · 12-08-2005, 09:31 PM

Degerative joint disease is another name for osteoarthritis (OA). OA is the most common reason for the need for joint replacement. The slippery cartilage that lines the joint thins, then breaks down and in advanced stages the patient can have bone-on-bone contact in the affected joint. This is painful. Those suffering from OA frequently have stiffness upon rising in the morning and worsening pain as the day wears on. Also bone spurs and bone cysts can develop. All of these things are readily visible on x-ray so your doctor likely put your symptoms of pain alongside your x-ray showing cartilage thinning, and maybe cysts and spurs and made the diagnosis.

Osteoarthritis can appear in only one or two joints or in several.

It is a completely different disease from rheumatoid arthritis and while it is only one of about 100 different types of arthritis, it is the most common form.