Can Arthritis Be Avoided? Part 1
Posted on Mon, May 23, 2011 @ 11:17 AM
Before looking at what you can or can’t do to avoid arthritis, it is important to distinguish between Osteoarthritis (OA), where cartilage breaks down, and other forms of inflammatory arthritis, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
If you would like to know more about the difference between osteo arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, please go to a previous blog post called “Osteo Arthritis (OA) & Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): A Brief Description”.
This 3 part blog series will address OA as it is the most common form of arthritis and likely the one that leads to the question “How do I avoid getting arthritis?”
OA, also known as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones, breaks down or loses its cushioning effect. OA is most commonly seen in the hands, neck, back, hips and knees. Because OA is degenerative, this means that over time, it will tend to progress or get worse.
The most common symptoms of OA are pain and stiffness in the joints, particularly when you first start to move after sleeping or after an extended period of rest. As the disease progresses, you may lose flexibility and range of motion (ROM). You may feel as though a joint is grinding or hear “crunching” noises, especially in the knees when you stand or walk. The severity of these symptoms can extend from mildly annoying to painful and functionally limiting.
There are many factors involved in the development of arthritis. Some of these factors can be avoided or lessened, others cannot. Let’s look at some of the causes or contributing factors that can lead to arthritis below and in upcoming blog posts.
AGING
What you can’t change
If we are lucky, we get older. Aging contributes to arthritis but is not necessarily the cause of it. Aging leads to a myriad of changes, one of which is our tissues, including our cartilage, lose fluids causing them to be less resilient and less able to avoid injury.
Synovial fluid is the viscous fluid found in the joints responsible for reducing friction and absorbing shock between opposing surfaces of cartilage. It is the 10W40 in our joints. Synovial fluid also helps supply oxygen and nutrients to the cartilage to keep it healthy. Synovial fluid ages along with the rest of our body and can become less effective at protecting our joints.
What you may be able to change.
There is some evidence that supplements may be effective at reducing the risk of arthritis due to aging. Glucosamine and chondroitin have been shown, in some studies, to be effective at reducing cartilage deterioration to a degree. The evidence is still not conclusive so read up and talk to your doctor before you start any drug.
There is also an injectable class of pharmaceuticals known as hyaluronates that have been approved for treatment of OA in knees. These drugs have not been shown to be 100% effective and are not approved for other joints. Seek your health care providers’ advice to see if an injectable hyaluronate drug is appropriate for you.
To date, there is little we can do to change how synovial fluid ages. While there is a lot of research being done there is as yet no 5,000 mile synovial fluid change at Jiffy Joint.
HEREDITY
What you can’t change
Not only did you inherit your blue eyes from your Dad and your red hair from your Mom, you may also have inherited a tendency to develop arthritis. The hereditary link for OA is not as clear as it often is for RA, but it is a recognized risk factor.
Your parents and your grandparents and their parents are not something you can change so you can just thank your Mom or Dad for this feature too.
What you may be able to change.
Though you may have your Mother’s feet or your Father’s knees that does not mean you have to the bunions or the knee pain they have. You can have a different lifestyle with better diet and exercise. And, you have access to health care advances they did not have. The use of safer anti-inflammatory drugs can be very effective in altering the course of arthritis. You can’t fight your gene pool but you can find healthier and safer ways to treat your joints.
In PART II we will look at those lifestyle choices that can affect arthritis and how your body reacts to changes.
Part 3 of the Blog Series