Hello, and welcome to EmpowHER. Have you been diagnosed with grade 3 arthritis?
Like many conditions and diseases, arthrtis progresses in stages (or grades). In general, the higher the stage, the more severe your symptoms. Here is our EmpowHER page that explains this disease:
There are several stages of osteoarthritis:
* Cartilage loses elasticity and is more easily damaged by injury or use.
* Wear of cartilage causes changes to underlying bone. The bone thickens and cysts may occur under the cartilage. Bony growths, called spurs or osteophytes, develop near the end of the bone at the affected joint.
* Bits of bone or cartilage float loosely in the joint space.
* The joint lining, or the synovium, becomes inflamed due to cartilage breakdown causing cytokines (inflammation proteins) and enzymes that damage cartilage further.
Changes in the cartilage and bones of the joint can lead to pain, stiffness and use limitations. Deterioration of cartilage can:
* Affect the shape and makeup of the joint so it doesn’t function smoothly. This can mean that you limp when you walk or have trouble going up and down stairs.
* Cause fragments of bone and cartilage to float in joint fluid causing irritation and pain.
* Cause bony spurs, called osteophytes, to develop near the ends of bones
* Mean the joint fluid doesn’t have enough hyaluronan, which affects the joint’s ability to absorb shock.
If you think of Stage 1, 2 and 3 as early/mild, moderate and severe, you can learn much more about each stage here:
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Anon,
Hello, and welcome to EmpowHER. Have you been diagnosed with grade 3 arthritis?
Like many conditions and diseases, arthrtis progresses in stages (or grades). In general, the higher the stage, the more severe your symptoms. Here is our EmpowHER page that explains this disease:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/osteoarthritis#definition
Here's what I found at www.arthritis.org:
There are several stages of osteoarthritis:
* Cartilage loses elasticity and is more easily damaged by injury or use.
* Wear of cartilage causes changes to underlying bone. The bone thickens and cysts may occur under the cartilage. Bony growths, called spurs or osteophytes, develop near the end of the bone at the affected joint.
* Bits of bone or cartilage float loosely in the joint space.
* The joint lining, or the synovium, becomes inflamed due to cartilage breakdown causing cytokines (inflammation proteins) and enzymes that damage cartilage further.
Changes in the cartilage and bones of the joint can lead to pain, stiffness and use limitations. Deterioration of cartilage can:
* Affect the shape and makeup of the joint so it doesn’t function smoothly. This can mean that you limp when you walk or have trouble going up and down stairs.
* Cause fragments of bone and cartilage to float in joint fluid causing irritation and pain.
* Cause bony spurs, called osteophytes, to develop near the ends of bones
* Mean the joint fluid doesn’t have enough hyaluronan, which affects the joint’s ability to absorb shock.
If you think of Stage 1, 2 and 3 as early/mild, moderate and severe, you can learn much more about each stage here:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/osteoarthritis/stages-of-progression.aspx
Does this information help?
January 19, 2010 - 10:29amThis Comment
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