There are many forms of arthritis ( the word means joint inflammation), by far the most common form is osteo-arthritis (OA) characterised by cartilage thinning at the ends of the bones where they meet other bones to form joints. All the joints are lined with cartilege, the smooth, slippery-when-wet nature of cartilege allows the bones the slide easily against one another and they can absorb shock. Considered to be a normal process of aging if you live long enough, OA can interfere with smooth joint movement.
If your genes have been passed on by OA sufferers it can predispose you to it, contact sport will greatly increase your chances of getting it as will being chronically overweight and unfit.
OA is the number one cause of needing hip and knee replacement surgery, you can sometimes actually hear and feel the bones grinding against one another in OA sufferers- when it gets to that stage it can get quite debilitating and very uncomfortable.
The good news is you can help yourself by following some sensible strategies. Walking and running on grass is easier on knees than the pavement. Wear good joggers check your running posture. Getting regular massage is useful, it helps free up muscle and joint action. Sometimes muscles tighten and increase the pressure inside your joints reducing your comfort and performance. Physio, osteopathy, chiropractic, massage and acupuncture are useful in combatting the effects of OA. Alkaline diets can reduce joint inflammation too.
There are other less common forms of arthritis such as rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis and unfortunately some people can suffer from more than one type at the same time.
Climate can play a part in the severity of arthritis, OA for instance usually feels worse during cold weather where rheumatiod arthritis (RA) will be more acute when the weather is hot.
Arthritis can also be compounded by other problems such as weight gain, tendonitis and shin splints, causing pain to radiate further from the joint itself along your legs, a common location for OA. Arthritis often effects people’s spines and hands too which can be extremely debilitating, basically where ever you have cartilege you can get arthritis.
Some arthritis sufferers find pharmaceutical medications quite satisfactory in controlling their symptoms but for others the side effects just aren’t worth it, if your stomach lining is a little on the sensitive side for instance you may be one of those people.
If you do get aching joints don’t just fob it off as getting older, be open to the possibilities and try them enough times to show some results.
Please remember to massage your “good side” too, when you are limping it adds to the wear and tear of the good side. It is common for knee and hip replacement patients to have a second joint replaced in fairly quick successuion so make a point of looking after both sides.