End-stage arthritis is the progressive wearing down of the cartilage that is present between the bones of a joint causing the bones to come in contact with each other and painfully rub against each other during movement of the joint. This results in severe pain with loss of movement and function.
Stage 4 is the most severe stage of osteoarthritis. Because of the fully progressed state of cartilage breakdown and bone-on-bone friction, you typically experience more intense (even excruciating) pain and discomfort when moving.
Stage 4 – Severe
This is the most severe stage of OA, which means it is also the most painful. At this point, the cartilage is almost completely gone, leading to an inflammatory response from the joint. The bone spurs that developed in the earlier stages have now multiplied, often causing excruciating pain.
There are four stages of osteoarthritis (OA): early, mild, moderate, and severe. You can also be diagnosed with a stage called pre-osteoarthritis. OA is a progressive joint disease caused by cartilage breakdown. It is the most common form of arthritis.
Stage 4 OA is also sometimes called end-stage osteoarthritis because the damage is so severe that a joint replacement is the only remaining treatment option. Total hip replacement is indicated when: All other treatments or surgical efforts have failed.
Experts confirm that once OA starts, it may take years to reach a severe stage. However, in extreme cases, OA progresses rapidly to complete the destruction of the cartilage within a few months. Some of the factors that determine the rate of OA progression include: The severity of your symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
The prognosis for osteoarthritis patients depends on which joints are affected and the level of symptomatology and functional impairment. Some patients remain relatively unaffected by osteoarthritis, while others can experience severe disability.
In stage 4 the joint space between the bones are considerably reduced, causing the cartilage to wear off, leaving the joint stiff. The breakdown of cartilage leads to a chronic inflammatory response, with decreased synovial fluid that causes friction, greater pain and discomfort when walking or moving the joint.
While OA can be limited to a single joint, in many cases it progresses to involve other joints, often in a sequential fashion as you describe.
Is Osteoarthritis A Disability? Osteoarthritis is considered a disability by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Osteoarthritis can be debilitating, causing severe pain and mobility issues.
People with advanced OA have pain and discomfort moving the joint. The pain is often severe. It can be debilitating and prevent you from carrying out your daily activities.
Knee Replacement Surgery Not a Permanent Cure
Typically, the new metal joint from a knee replacement can last between 10 and 15 years. Because of this, even with a 'perfect' procedure, many patients will need two or even more replacements in their lifetime, depending on their age at the time of the first procedure.
An osteoarthritis flare-up is an episode of increased pain, stiffness, and fatigue that appears without warning to disrupt your normal routine. Usually, flare-ups can last for hours, days, or weeks. The best way to manage these episodes is to figure out the triggers and find a way of dealing with them.
Severe Osteoarthritis and mobility
Sadly for some Osteoarthritis can lead to need to using a wheelchair. The pain while often manageable with drugs can combine with joint stiffness and loss of dexterity to require the use of a wheelchair to help alleviate the conditions.
Osteoarthritis is generally a slowly progressive disorder. However, at least 1 in 7 people with incident knee osteoarthritis develop an abrupt progression to advanced-stage radiographic disease, many within 12 months.
Compared with typical hand osteoarthritis (OA), this condition is more disabling and causes more severe joint pain and stiffness. Erosive OA is characterized by severe joint inflammation and bone breakdown, leading to characteristic X-ray findings, but it can also take longer to diagnose than typical OA.
OA can lead to severe pain as well as limit joint motions, sometimes to the point of disability. In general, this means that a person cannot perform the routine activities of daily life anymore, such as bending down, climbing up a flight of stairs, walking for a distance, or even getting dressed by themselves.
Walking and aquatic exercises are particularly good for most people with osteoarthritis.
Most People With Arthritis Are Under 65 Years Old
Osteoarthritis onset usually occurs after the age of 40. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammatory type of arthritis, can develop at any age.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain.
End-stage arthritis results in pain, combined with loss of function and mobility – severely limiting normal activity. When this end stage is reached and non-operative options (such as medication, injections, and bracing) have been exhausted, patients are presented with two methods of surgical treatment.
The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and sometimes stiffness in the affected joints. The pain tends to be worse when you move the joint or at the end of the day. Your joints may feel stiff after rest, but this usually wears off fairly quickly once you get moving. Symptoms may vary for no obvious reason.