Causes of osteoarthritis

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By david stillwagon

Causes of osteoarthritis

There are two main types of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common type in America with over 27 million people suffering from it. More women than men have it. Osteoarthritis is often referred as the degenerative arthritis because of the wearing away of the joints. So why do so many folks have this debilitating conditions, what are the causes of osteoarthritis.

There are 2 types of osteoarthritis

1. Primary – which is due to the natural aging that wears down the joints

2. Secondary – which is caused by injury, obesity and some types of diseases.

Everything wears out eventually and that is at the center of osteoarthritis. The wearing a way of joints, and the pressure on the muscles causes stress on the joints. If you have been in a job where you have repeated motions this be a cause of osteoarthritis. Injuries, work related or otherwise can bring on osteoarthritis. Weak muscles have also been shown to increase stress and pressure on joints.

Being overweight can certainly bring about stress on muscles as well as joints. Pressure on the knees due to excessive weight can lead to arthritis. This can also cause limps and deformities in the legs. Which ultimately lead to knee replacement.

Heredity can be considered a cause because of a gene that produces defective cartilages.

Surprisingly enough exercise over a long period of time isn’t a cause of this type of arthritis. And neither entirely is age which most folks would suspect.

Living with arthritis requires the proper treatments that usually include living a healthy lifestyle that consists of eating right and exercising. Your doctor will also direct you to which medications (over the counter or prescription) are appropriate. He can also request a physical therapist to help you out as well.

Surgery can also be performed to help with this type of arthritis.

What is osteoporosis?

It seems that some folks may not know that there is a difference between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Osteoporosis is where the body’s bones become porous and weak which in turn causes them to be vulnerable to fracturing and breaking, whereas osteoarthritis deals with the wearing away of cartilage between the bones.

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What are bone spurs?

Bone spurs are bony growths that form close to the bones they can cause pain when they rub against nerves and other bones. Bone spurs are also called osteophytes. They can be found almost anywhere on the body. They occur because the body responds to the loss of bones by growing new bones. Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of bone spurs.

Do you know the difference between osteoarthritis and osteoporosis?

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