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Osteoarthritis What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints involving hips, knees, neck, lower back, small joints in the hands
As I was growing up in India, I watched all four of my grandparents, and both of my parents walking with cane and complaining about pain in the knees.
As we age, the water content of the cartilage increases, causing the protein contents in the cartilage to degenerate. The cartilage starts to flake off. Finally, we completely lose the cushion between the bones. During mid age, we gain weight. The added weight increases the mechanical stress on the cartilage, combined with degeneration due to ageing, it leads to the osteoarthritis of the knees. My parents and grand parents had to walk wherever they went, eventually wearing away the cartilage that cushions the the ends of the bones in the joints. As the cartilage wears, the bones rub together causing pain. The spurs may develop causing swelling.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints involving hips, knees, neck, lower back, small joints in the hands.
The other causes may be Gout, Diabetes, and Hormone disorders.
Types of Osteoarthritis
Knees
Major causes are obesity and sports injuries. Cartilage degeneration can lead to deformity ('bow legged'), and development of limp. Eventually, total knee replacement surgery may be required.
Spine
This can cause pain in the neck, and/or the lower back. The bony spurs along the spine irritate nerves leading to pain, numbness and tingling.
Hands
The bone spurs in the small finger joints develop a deformity called Hebernden's node and Bouchard nodes reducing the finger mobility. The osteoarthritis of fingers and toes may also be genetic.
Gender and Race
Among men, osteoarthritis may occur before the age of 45, while among women, it may happen after the age of 55.
We are luckier than Japanese or Caucasians. Japanese population seems to suffer most frequently, followed by Caucasians, and then South Asians, South African Blacks Southern Chinese.
Diets