Nursing Teaching on Risk Factors and Causes for Osteoarthritis

Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on the risk factors and causes for osteoarthritis as follows:

1. Older age: Osteoarthritis is a condition, mainly due to the wear and tear of joint over the years. So, the more the age, the higher the risk for wear and tear, and so is the chance for development of osteoarthritis.
2. Obesity: Individuals who are grossly overweight and with highly disproportionate weight to their height are at increased risk for presentation with osteoarthritis. The overweight situation puts a lot of stress on the weightbearing joints of the individual, resulting in progressive wear and tear of the joint and lead to osteoarthritis.
3. Unrelieved stress on the joint: Some individuals, owing to the job nature or participation in sport activities requiring lot of physical activity, carry a significant risk for development of osteoarthritis over the years.
4. Joint injury: Joints previously exposed to severe injury and damage can be more predisposed to development of osteoarthritis. So, individuals with history of prior joint injury for any reason, such as, accident and participation in highly mechanical sports like basketball and volleyball, stand a high risk for presentation with osteoarthritis.
5. Improper use and prolonged malposition of joints: The joints can be subjected to undue stress and strain secondary to improper use and prolonged malposition of joints. Undue stress can result in destruction to the articular cartilage in the weightbearing joints, such as, hip and knee, leading to development of osteoarthritis.