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Article of the Day
Osteoarthritis, cause,
prevent
the development of
osteoarthritis or to help
prevent it:
Osteoarthritis, along with rheumatoid arthritis - a type of
inflammatory arthritis - this is one of the two most common
types of arthritis
Osteoarthritis is a very common condition, affecting the
joints, often described as "wear and tear" arthritis. This can
start from our teens and gets worse as we grow older.
Osteoarthritis is most common in the hands, knees, hips and
feet. Some people also develop it in the back and neck.
Osteoarthritis develops differently from person to person.
The condition typically causes joints to become stiff and
painful to move, but it doesn't usually cause symptoms outside
the area of the joint.
It usually develops slowly and the changes can be so
gradual that people hardly notice them. The condition usually
settles down after a number of years and, although the joints
may have a knobbly appearance, they may become less painful.
The amazing thing is how much it varies from person to person.
If you look at two people, who have had identical jobs and
identical stresses on their joints through their lifetimes,
you could well find one with their joints in virtually
pristine condition, and the other with visibly misshapen and
painful joints which do not function normally.
Osteoarthritis is not usually a progressive and crippling
arthritis in the way that some other forms, such as rheumatoid
arthritis, can be. It may begin at a very young age, so do not
worry too much that it means you are "over the hill". Changes
of osteoarthritis have been found in the bones of teenagers.
More then ten million people in the World visit their
doctor about osteoarthritis every year. There is no single
cause, but several factors seem to increase the likelihood of
getting the disease:
-
age
-
osteoarthritis is uncommon before the age of 40
-
sex
- osteoarthritis is more common in women
-
weight
-
being overweight increases the risk of osteoarthritis,
particularly of the knee
-
injury
-
an injury, operation, earlier disease or repeated strain at
a joint may lead to osteoarthritis later in life
Cause
In osteoarthritis, the smooth cartilage that takes the
strain in a normal joint becomes rough, brittle and weak. To
compensate, the bone beneath thickens and spreads out, forming
knobbly outgrowths (osteophytes). The synovial membrane
surrounding the joint thickens and the fluid-filled space
within it becomes smaller. There is often inflammation.
As osteoarthritis gets worse, bits of cartilage may break
away from the bone, causing the bone ends to rub together and
the ligaments to become strained. This causes a lot of pain
and changes the shape of the joint.
Prevent
the development of
osteoarthritis or to help prevent:
Weight control.
Maintaining a healthy weight may be the single most important
thing you can do to prevent osteoarthritis.4 Being overweight
puts extra strain on the joints, particularly the large
weight-bearing joints such as the knees, the hips, and the
balls of the feet. It is estimated that every 1 lb(0.5 kg) of
body weight means at least 3 lb(1.4 kg) of stress at the knee
joint, and even more at the hip joint. That would mean that
losing just 5 lb(2.3 kg) would take at least 15 lb(6.8 kg) of
stress off your knees. Extra weight may also alter the normal
structure of the joint and increase the risk for
osteoarthritis. Lose unhealthy weight to prevent or lessen
joint damage and decrease the stress on osteoarthritic joints.
For more information, see the topic Healthy Weight.
Injury prevention.
Protect your joints from serious injury or repeated minor
injuries to decrease your risk of damaging cartilage. Repeated
minor injuries include those from job-related activities such
as frequent or constant kneeling, squatting, or other postures
that place stress on the knee joint.
Exercise.
Exercise can help reduce joint pain and stiffness. Light- to
moderate-intensity physical activity may prevent a decline in,
and may even restore, health and function. However, some
people with osteoarthritis may be reluctant to exercise
because of joint pain after activity. You can take various
steps to help relieve pain, such as heat and cold therapy or
taking pain relievers, which may make it easier for you to
exercise and stay active. Choose partial– or
non–weight-bearing exercise, such as bicycling, swimming, or
water exercise.
Top short listed articles
This booklet
aims to help people who have osteoarthritis, and their
families and friends. It helps you understand osteoarthritis –
how it develops, and how to deal with it. It also puts to rest
some of the myths about this common condition.....
read more from the link given
below
http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6025/6025.htm
A joint is
where two bones meet. Joints allow movement and flexibility of
various parts of the body. The movement of the bones is caused
by muscles which pull on tendons that are attached to bone.....
read more from the link given
below
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068795/
The main
symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, stiffness and swelling of
the joints. The joint may have restricted movement, and there
may be tenderness or deformity. The joint may also crack or
creak (called crepitation)......
read more from the link given
below
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/osteoarthritis.html
Top Referred
Sources / Websites for Today's Topic.
(Please log on to below links to find more detail of today's
topic)
http://www.bbc.co.uk
http://www.arthritis.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.medinfo.co.uk
http://www.arthritis.org
http://www.sciencedaily.com
http://findarticles.com
http://www.topix.net
http://www.docguide.com
http://www.laboratorytalk.com
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