Really, just about anyone has a chance of developing osteoarthritis. However, some things can make you more susceptible than other people. Your age. Age is the number one risk factor for osteoarthritis; the disease is most often seen in older people. However, osteoarthritis can start in younger people, often due to a joint injury. Experts predict that by the year 2030, approximately seventy million people will be at risk for osteoarthritis. Your gender. Before the age of forty five, osteoarthritis is more often seen in men. After that, osteoarthritis — especially in the hand — is seen more often in … Continue reading →

The most common form of arthritis in the United States is osteoarthritis. Approximately twenty-one million adults suffer from osteoarthritis! Osteoarthritis starts with the breakdown of cartilage in a joint, causing pain and stiffness over time. Symptoms include steady or intermittent pain in a joint, stiffness after inactivity (like sleeping or sitting), swelling or tenderness in the joint, and a crunching sound or feeling when the joint is used. This last is the rubbing of bone on bone called crepitus. Experts aren’t sure why osteoarthritis happens. Some believe that the joint damage starts in response to physical stress, like an injury … Continue reading →