Osteoarthritis Wear on the Joints

You may have heard that osteoarthritis is just wear, and that nothing more needs to be asked about it. That idea is worth testing before you accept a plan built on it.

Published descriptions show how far that idea goes. A second opinion is the place to ask what they leave unsaid, and readers in the Montclair area who hold one diagnosis can bring the questions below to it.

Osteoarthritis, type and joints

The Arthritis Foundation says osteoarthritis is by far the most common type of arthritis. A plain explanation of what arthritis is shows where osteoarthritis sits among the other types.

OrthoInfo (AAOS) says wear and tear on the facet joints is referred to as osteoarthritis, also known as spondylosis.

Which joints the diagnosis covers

Osteoarthritis can be named for arthritis in general or for particular joints such as the facet joints. A diagnosis that does not say which joints it refers to leaves a gap.

A national arthritis overview can help you place the term, though it cannot tell you which joints your diagnosis covers.

Questions that expose a hidden assumption

• Which joint or joints does the diagnosis refer to?
• What finding led to the name osteoarthritis?
• Was another type considered? A public health page on gout shows how a different type is described.
• Who will review the plan, and when?

What a second opinion should confirm

Ask the second clinician to confirm the type, the joints, the finding behind the name and the date of the next review. A pain management information hub is useful for looking up any term that comes up. Write the two answers side by side and keep the one that names its reasons.