According to the Arthritis Foundation, osteoarthritis affects 21 million Americans. This type of arthritis often begins after the age of 40 and by the time they reach 65, more than half of all Americans have some form of osteoarthritis.

According to Edward Leib M.D., an MVP Health Care physician who specializes in arthritis, osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints and not the bone. Wear and tear over time causes the cartilage that protects and cushions the joints to break down causing joint pain. The disease most often affects the joints of the fingers, hips, knees, feet and the spine. The rate of the progression of arthritis varies from person to person. Symptoms include pain in the affected joints especially after activity or toward evening, stiffness after sleeping or sitting for a while, limited motion of joint or joints, and tenderness and deformity of the joints.

Because there is no cure for arthritis yet, his goal, and that of other physicians who treat patients with osteoarthritis, is to help patients improve their quality of life through pain relief and maintain and improve joint function.

For his patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, Dr. Leib recommends a treatment plan that includes pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory medications, exercise and home treatment.

Mild to moderate pain can usually be handled with nonprescription pain relievers, says Dr. Leib. "I recommend acetaminophen or anti inflammatory medications. These have the fewest side effects. When pain is more severe, I may prescribe different combinations of medications to alleviate the pain."

Weight control is another important factor in preventing the symptoms of the disease. "Excess weight puts extra strain on joints, especially weight bearing joints such as knees and hips" states Dr Leib. "Dropping excess weight is as crucial to the treatment of arthritis as any medicine that I can prescribe. Studies have shown that reducing weight by less than 15 pounds can reduce knee pain by 50 percent." "Exercise is equally important," he added. "Many of my patients are afraid to exercise because they may have joint pain and stiffness after activity. But steps can be taken to relieve those symptoms, such as heat and cold therapy along with analgesics. I tell patients that reasonable exercise won't make a damaged joint worse. Instead exercise helps strengthen the muscles and maintain flexibility of the ligaments surrounding the joint which in turn protects and reduces stress on the joint."

Dr. Leib recommends the following exercise advise for people living with osteoarthritis: "Consult with your doctor before starting on any exercise program. He or she may want you to consult a physical therapist who will show you how to do each kind of exercise and how to protect joints from exercise-induced injuries."
"Many forms of exercise are simple and inexpensive. Walking, stretching, and lifting small weights and swimming are all beneficial. Water aerobics classes, yoga,tai chi and dance classes can be helpful if you like the company of others when you exercise."

Dr. Leib cautions patients to start out slowly with short periods of daily exercise increasing to about 30 minutes per day on most days of the week. "I tell my patients that if they have pain for more than one hour after exercise or if the pain is worse the next day, it may be too much exercise", said Dr.Leib. "If this happens to you, ease off and talk to your doctor. But don't let this stop you from exercising. The benefits of exercise far outweigh any challenges you might have in beginning an exercise program that will work for you."

Dr. Leib is a Board Certified Rheumatologist at Fletcher Allen Health Care and a professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont college of medicine.

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More information on osteoarthritis is available in the Health Central Online Health Library.
Additional source:Arthritis Foundation