What is peculiar about osteoarthritis, for example of the lumbar spine, is trying to predict who will and won't suffer from pain symptoms. Studies have repeatedly shown that some arthritis sufferers have significant ‘wear and tear’ of the lumbar joints but experience no pain at all - whereas others may have more mild wear and tear changes yet suffer from debilitating pain and dysfunction.

As such there is poor correlation between the extent of the arthritis and the severity of the pain symptoms which may arise. For this reason we also need to be careful to avoid putting all back pain suffered by those in their more senior years as being ‘arthritis’ as this may not be the case.

Indeed arthritis may be the cause, but there are many other reasons someone may be suffering from back pain. At times arthritic changes seen on MRI for example may be a chance finding and not actually the cause of the pain at all. A good clinical assessment is usually able to determine whether the pain is arthritis related.

It may sound counter-intuitive when first telling someone suffering with arthritis of the knee that they should exercise to help relieve the pain. But, research suggests that some forms of aerobic, aquatic and strength training will ease pain and improve function.

But not every study is created equally and sometimes certain published claims don't stack up with what our daily hands-on experience is telling us. Some examples...

As the cold winter sets in some of you may find that those knees have become a little bit achy. The term arthritis is often mentioned when such aches and pains begin to surface over time. This is a condition that we treat regularly here at Mount Merrion Physiotherapy. Let’s look at a bit more detail into the meaning of the term 'osteoarthritis'.

The hips, knees and ankles are the main weight bearing joints of the body. Though they are meant to last a lifetime, it is becoming more common to see younger people present with early signs of wear in one of these joints.