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Causes
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 two 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
six 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.
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