Arthritis is a disease of joints and the name arthritis has originated from the Greek language. Arthron means joint and it is means swelling or inflammation. When a joint is swollen and is quite painful, generally this indicates the progression of arthritis.
Though arthritis has been known to affect mankind for a long time, the exact causes of arthritis are not yet found out. Researchers have identified some of the risk factors which contribute in developing arthritis. Many factors are responsible for developing this disease.
Osteoarthritis is one of the forms of arthritis. It is called a degenerative type of arthritis. Cartilage which protects the bones in the joint and makes the movement easy for joints breaks down day by day. There is no clear answer to explain this phenomenon. Hence, the mystery of causes of arthritis is still not solved.
As a person grows old the cartilage take the beating of wear and tear due to over use of the joints. Once it starts to degenerate there is no going back. You have to try and deal with the disease. The researches have still not found any measures that can stop the degenerative process.
It is found that genetics also plays a vital part in a person’s life. Genetic is one of the causes of arthritis. It is found that osteoarthritis can affect you if any of your family members have it. If your parents have osteoarthritis then it is very likely that you will be affected by it sometime during your life time. The exact cause still eludes the researchers.
Weight of a person also plays a vital part in developing osteoarthritis. It is often found that the weight bearing joints of a person such as the knees, hips, feet, spine and hand are affected by degenerative arthritis. Every extra pound puts more pressure on the joints. The knee joints start to ach and if not cared properly you find it difficult to walk.
Some of the causes of arthritis could be previous injury to the joint. The injury contributes in developing osteoarthritis. Some times it is found that you may be affected by osteoarthritis because of your occupation. Most of the assembly and heavy construction workers are at high risk of developing osteoarthritis.
People who are susceptible to the joint infection or if they suffer from gout can develop arthritis of the joint. Because of the infection the joint swells. It becomes difficult to move the joint. Sometime some bony growth is seen around the joint. If left untreated it may develop into arthritis.
