Degenerative Arthritis

Arthritis can be classified into various types, and osteoarthritis is among the most frequently observed of them all. But there is another name to osteoarthritis, and that is degenerative arthritis. Why is osteoarthritis also referred to as degenerative arthritis? The answer to this question is this%u2026

When a person suffers from arthritis (arthritis diet), the most common symptoms of the disease include pain in the joints and swelling in various parts of the body, depending on the type of arthritis he is suffering from for which arthritis pain relief is must. Now in osteoarthritis and other types, this pain and swelling happens because the bones, cartilages, and the tissues in the affected region gets stiff and degenerates. Now due to this degeneration, it is known as degenerative arthritis. Osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis affects the joints of the hips, back, feet and the knees, and as previously mentioned, is among the most frequently happening type. Actually, this may be the number one reason behind disability among the seniors of our times.

How And Why Degenerative Arthritis Causes Problems

Though there are a few exceptions, but most people who are affected by degenerative arthritis disease are in their 40's or more. Interestingly it has been seen that before the age of 45, more males than females are affected by this painful disease, but after the age of 45, it reverses, that is an increasing number of females are seen to suffer.

When someone ages, the water in the body and the cartilage goes up, and the protein levels also degenerate in the cartilage. Over the years we use of joints over and over again, and this too causes the cartilages to get irritated - leading to degenerative arthritis. The cartilage due to excessive use starts to get damaged as tiny crevasses are formed. And in some cases, the cartilage that resides between the joint and the bone gets so damaged that there is almost no cushion at all. When this happens, there is a lot of friction and this causes the swelling and the pain. It becomes stiff when joint mobility is hampered. Sometimes the bones begin to grow, and this makes the degenerative arthritis worse.

Injuries And Degenerative Arthritis

Another cause of degenerative arthritis is an injury. But most often it can take years for the injury to develop into degenerative arthritis. Most often those who get degenerative arthritis through an injury are into sports such as martial arts, runners and athletes and even soccer players who went through hard tackles and ankle injuries in a lifetime on the field. Sometimes the pain can become so severe that the former sportsperson may be rendered bedridden, thus adding to his frustration. Interestingly, though martial arts can cause degenerative arthritis, but the same martial arts can put the person back on the road to recovery.

But not only sportsperson's, almost anyone can suffer from degenerative arthritis. In Japan for example, this disease is seen to affect a large section of the population. On the other hand, those in South Africa (particularly the colored population) and in India, a lesser number of people are affected with degenerative arthritis.