Osteoarthritis

   What causes it?

While there isn't any single known cause of osteoarthritis (OA), there
are several risk factors that should be considered. Knowing and
controlling these risk factors can help you minimize your risk or even
help you prevent getting OA altogether. Keep in mind that having risk
factors for OA doesn't mean you will definitely get it. No single risk
factor is enough to cause OA; it is more likely that a combination of
risk factors works together to cause the disease.

There are 2 distinct types of osteoarthritis - primary and secondary.

Primary osteoarthritis is the type associated with aging and is thought
of as "wear and tear" osteoarthritis. The older you are, the more likely
it is that you will have some degree of primary arthritis. In fact, if
we live long enough, most of us will experience primary osteoarthritis,
even if it is just a touch. There is no apparent cause for this type of
osteoarthritis.

In contrast, when someone is diagnosed with secondary osteoarthritis, it
is because there is an apparent cause for the disease. In other words,
the breakdown of cartilage can be associated to injury, heredity,
obesity or something else.

Listed below are the risk factors for osteoarthritis.

   * *Age*. Incidences of OA increase as you age. Since ?wear and tear?
     does play a part in the development of OA, the older you are, the
     more you have used your joints. Although age is an important risk
     factor, it doesn?t mean that OA is inevitable.

   * *Obesity*. Obesity is a nationwide epidemic and you hear about the
     danger from it every day on the news. Increased body weight is a
     serious factor in the development of OA, particularly in your
     knees, which carry the brunt of your weight day in and day out.
     For every pound you gain, you add 3 pounds of pressure on your
     knees and 6 times the pressure on your hips. Since weight gain
     gradually increases the stress on joints, the weight you gain the
     decade before you have OA symptoms, particularly in middle age,
     plays a big role in determining if you will have OA.

   * *Injury or Overuse*. Athletes and people who have jobs that
     require doing repetitive motion, such as landscaping, typing or
     machine operating, have a higher risk of developing OA due to
     injury and increase stress on certain joints. OA also develops in
     later years in joints where bones have been fractured or surgery
     has occurred. It is important for athletes to learn to take
     precautions to avoid injury and for people in repetitive jobs to
     modify their movements to lessen this stress. Note: Avoiding
     repetitive movement shouldn't be interpreted as not exercising.
     Regular moderate exercise strengthens the joint causing it to be
     more stable, thereby, reducing the risk of OA in that joint.

   * *Genetics or Heredity*. It is becoming more and more clear that
     genetics plays a role in the development of OA, particularly in
     the hands. This shows itself in many ways. Inherited abnormalities
     of the bones that affect the shape or stability of the joints can
     lead to OA. It is also more common in joints that don't fit
     together smoothly. For example, a bowlegged person is more likely
     to develop OA. Increased laxity or being double jointed also
     increases the risk of OA. Recently, researchers have been looking
     at a defect in the gene responsible for manufacturing cartilage as
     a risk factor. Just because you have one of these inherited
     traits, doesn't mean that you are going to develop OA. It just
     means that your doctor should check you more closely and more
     frequently for signs and symptoms of the disease.

   * *Muscle Weakness*. Studies of the knee muscles not only show that
     weakness of the muscles surrounding the knee can lead to OA, but
     that strengthening exercises for thigh muscles are important in
     reducing the risk.

   * *Other Diseases and Types of Arthritis*. People with rheumatoid
     arthritis tend to have a greater chance of developing OA.  Also,
     hemochromotosis, or having too much iron, can damage cartilage to
     the point of chronic deterioration. Acromegaly, or excess growth
     hormone, also has adverse affects on the bones and joints and can
     lead to OA.

... Are you using Windows, or is that just an XT?
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12