Could You Be At Risk For Osteoarthritis?

Arthritis is a disease that causes pain and restricted movement of the body joints.  It has several forms, but the most common of the forms is osteoarthritis.  This form of the disease affects over 20 million people in the U.S. and occurs everywhere in the world. 

Osteoarthritis is characterized by a degeneration of the cartilage in joints.  The cartilage is essential for having joints that glide over each other easily.  In addition, cartilage absorbs much of the impact from motion on the joint components. 

Osteoarthritis causes the tough skin or top layer of the cartilage to deteriorate or disappear.  The softer and more vulnerable inside of the cartilage soon becomes irritated, swollen, and eventually can wear away to nothing.  The distress of the cartilage seriously affects the operation of the joint, sometimes even causing a handicap or disability.

Osteoarthritis causes pain and soreness of the affected joints at the least, and can severely limit the range of motion in advanced cases.  The primary joints affected are in the fingers, knees, neck, back, and hips.  Osteoarthritis affects just the joints and has no other symptoms generally affecting other body parts or systems. 

Risk Factor – Age

Osteoarthritis occurs most often in older people, especially over age 45, but can be seen in earlier age groups.  Men experience osteoarthritis in greater numbers when looking at earlier ages, but women have the majority of cases during the later years.  Overall, gender is not a significant risk factor. 

Risk Factor – Joint Formation/Injury

If a person has a malformed joint that does not operate normally from birth, he or she is at a higher risk for osteoarthritis later in life.  If a joint area is injured, the risk of developing the disease is substantially higher.  The joint may heal, but it usually does not heal perfectly.  The symptoms for osteoarthritis from these risks often do not happen until much later in life. 

Risk Factor – Repetitive Joint Motion

Occupations or hobbies that require repetitive motions of specific joints over extended times will raise the risk of pain and suffering from osteoarthritis.  The continuous use of one or several joints stresses the cartilage and other joint parts, contributing to a higher risk of the cartilage deteriorating.  Many of these problems are related to the fingers or back.  The back is often affected by labor requiring repeated lifting and loading of objects.  The fingers are often damaged by typing, sewing, or other detail types of work. 

Risk Factor – Heredity

Osteoarthritis is a disease where a higher risk is documented for people having a family history of occurrences.  The genetic component of higher risk is most often seen involving the finger joints in women.  Individuals with a female ancestor with osteoarthritis have a significantly higher risk of developing the disease.  Bony spheres may appear at the joints or fingers or thumbs to indicate onset of the disease.  Gnarled and curled fingers are another sign that you or your family member may have osteoarthritis.