If you crack your knuckles, you’re more likely to end up with arthritis. Wrong! That’s just one of many popular misconceptions about arthritis. While cracking your knuckles could injure an individual joint, it won’t cause arthritis.
Here are some more myths about arthritis!
- Overuse of joints leads to arthritis. Wrong! If overusing a joint caused arthritis, wouldn’t you only get it in the hand you write with and not in the off-hand? While repeated injury to a joint can lead to a particular type of arthritis (degenerative arthritis, where the joint is breaking down), repeated USE of a joint won’t put you at risk.
- The weather — especially cold or damp weather — causes arthritis. Wrong! While some patients feel that the weather affects arthritis symptoms, the weather is not to blame for the condition existing. Right now, there is no evidence that sitting in a cold draft will cause arthritis.
- The right diet can cure arthritis/the wrong diet can cause arthritis. Both wrong! Right now, there is no research to support a particular diet as an arthritis treatment or cure. However, there does seem to be a connection between obesity and a particular type of arthritis (osteoarthritis), so maintaining a healthy weight may help reduce your risk of developing arthritis. Also, you can’t fight arthritis with calcium! Calcium can help prevent osteoporosis, but not osteoarthritis.
- Mental or emotional stress causes arthritis. Wrong! While stress can definitely have an impact on pain and how you manage it, there’s currently no evidence that psychological stress causes any type of arthritis.
- Poor posture causes arthritis. Wrong! It’s the other way around — certain types of arthritis (and other bone diseases) can lead to slouching or other kinds of poor posture.
One last myth: everyone will develop arthritis as they age. Wrong! Osteoarthritis does become more common with age, but not everyone gets arthritis. As medicine improves, people are living longer — so it may be that we’re seeing more cases of arthritis simply because there are more people around!