Osteoarthritis is also called as arthrosis or degenerative disorder of joints. It involves different body parts such as feet, spine, hand, wrists, knee and hip and causes pain and impaired function of joints. The main cause of development of this disease is degeneration and loss of joint cartilage. Age, gender, obesity, bone deformities, joint injuries, genetic factors and other diseases affecting joints are the major risk factors for osteoarthritis.
Primary osteoarthritis is mainly associated with aging. Older adults are at the higher risk of developing this disease. Water content of cartilage increases and protein base degenerates with aging. Repetitive use of joints can cause irritation and inflammation of cartilage which may cause pain and swelling in joints. Before the age of 55, men and women are equally prone to this disease. But, after 55, it affects more frequently to women.
Obesity is one of the significant risk factors for osteoarthritis. An overweight person is at increased risk of knee osteoarthritis. obeisty causes an excessive mechanical stress on the cartilage which may result in breakdown and loss of cartilage resulting in inflammation and pain in the joints.
Repeated trauma or joint injury is among the important risk factors for osteoarthritis. Repeated trauma to the joint structures such as cartilage, bones and ligaments can cause early development of osteoarthritis. The injured joints in knee and hip are more susceptible to this disease. Repetitive kneeling, squatting or heavy lifting can put excess stress on the joints and may result in development of osteoarthritis.
In addition to this, other joint and bone diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, Paget’s disease of bone and gout can be the risk factors for osteoarthritis. . In gout, there is deposition of uric acid crystals in the cartilage which may cause irritation and inflammation of cartilage. Beside this, abnormally formed joints may cause development of osteoarthritis. People with congenital joint abnormalities are more susceptible to mechanical tear of joints, resulting in early degeneration and loss of cartilage.
People having the disorders associated with hormonal imbalance such as growth hormone and diabetes are also vulnerable to early degeneration of cartilage leading to osteoarthritis. Besides this, a person having genetic defect such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is at the risk of breakdown of protective architecture of cartilage. As osteoarthritis is a hereditary disease, the genetic factor is important in the development of this disease.
Avoiding these risk factors can help to prevent and treat osteoarthritis. As obesity is one of the risk factors, you should not gain excess weight. It is very important to maintain healthy body weight with the help of exercise and balance diet. Exercise is very important for joints and muscles to prevent weakness and stiffness. It can improve the flexibility and mobility of joints, prevent further damage of joints and maintain overall health.
People with low bone mineral density are at the higher risk for the osteoarthritis. Hence, adequate intake of calcium along with exercise is recommended to maintain the density of bones. You should avoid the foods such as tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes and peppers which can increase inflammation. In addition to that, adopt some changes in lifestyle. Avoid doing activities that can put stress on your joints. Save your joints from any kind of injury and take help of assistive devices.
