Complications of osteoarthritis
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Complications of osteoarthritis
Most people find osteoarthritis to be a nuisance that eventually becomes significant enough to impact their daily activities, but sometimes there are more serious complications.
Possible complications of osteoarthritis include:
- Rapid, complete breakdown of cartilage resulting in loose tissue material in the joint (chondrolysis).
- Bone death (osteonecrosis).
- Stress fractures (hairline crack in the bone that develops gradually in response to repeated injury or stress).
- Bleeding inside the joint.
- Infection in the joint.
- Deterioration or rupture of the tendons and ligaments around the joint, leading to loss of stability.
- Pinched nerve (in osteoarthritis of the spine).
Credits
| Author | Robin Parks, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology |
| Last Updated | April 20, 2007 |
| Last updated: | April 20, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS |
| Reviewed By: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology |
| Editors: | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC |
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