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Several questions about thoracic osteoarthritis
Hello,
My Dr has diagnosed me with OA in my thoracic spine and in my thumbs. I have a strong feeling that it is in other areas, but nothing else has been checked yet. I also have fibromyalgia, Ehlers Danlos, and a number of other diagnoses. I'm a 30 year old woman. How common is this diagnosis at my age? Is this something that could potentially affect my life expectancy? How likely is it that I may become paralyzed?
Thank you!
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@mariahann I think most people get arthritis from aging and wear and tear on the body. As for how common this is at 30 years old, that would be a question for a doctor, and also for questions about life expectancy as there can be many factors affecting life expectancy. Eating a healthy diet with foods that don't promote inflammation and exercise do help with health in general. I am a spine surgery patient. My spine condition was caused by an injury that years down the road lead to a ruptured spinal disc and bone spurs growing inside the spinal canal. Technically this extra bone growth can be considered arthritis, and could have lead to paralysis if it were allowed to continue to grow. I had spinal cord compression because of this condition, and this did increase my chances of paralysis if another injury occurred to move or pressure the spinal cord. Paralysis happens because of trauma affecting the spine. Arthritis can also affect joints. A physical therapist can do an assessment for body alignment, and correct alignment reduces wear on joints.
Jennifer
Maria, paralysis is very unlikely. Have you been tested for rheumatoid arthritis.
@mariahann, you are asking great questions. Your doctor is best equipped to help answer these questions as they know your medical history, current health status, etc. Fellow patients on this forum cannot predict outcomes or confirm diagnosis.
What symptoms led to your doctor suspecting osteoarthitis?
Maria, you have a lot going on and make sure that you have a couple opinions and radiologic confirmations as to what is going on in your spine. It’s better to have a couple good reliable opinions so as to be sure. Keep us updated.🙏
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1 ReactionMost adults by a certain age develop some form of arthritis. I OA too most likely due to a fall at 20 and a fall at 34 both causing severe injury and most likely contributing to my developing OA at around 50. It’s migrated to my hips and I walk 2 miles daily and stretch 2x a day to keep it at bay. It will not kill you but will cause you a bunch of discomfort to one degree or another until the end.