Osteoarthritis means that you have pain in a joint and your doctor does not know the cause. Your blood tests for the known causes of joint pain are all normal, so you do not have an immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout. Your X-rays may show broken cartilage or narrowing of the joint, or they may be completely normal. Three recent studies show that:
* Inactivity worsens osteoarthritis,
* Osteoarthritis can be caused by being overweight, and
* Exercise is a primary treatment for osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis Is Very Common
Eighty percent of North Americans have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis by age 65, and sixty percent have significant pain. Osteoarthritis usually starts around age 40 with gradually increasing pain in the knees, hips, hands or spine. Osteoarthritis more commonly affects the joints at the ends of the fingers and at the base of the thumb, while rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the middle joints of the fingers and the joints where the fingers attach to the hand.
80% of North Americans have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis by age 65, and 60% have significant pain.
Gabe Mirkin
Author
Sports medicine doctor, fitness guru and long-time radio host Gabe Mirkin, M.D. brings you news and tips for your healthful lifestyle. A practicing physician for more than 50 years and a radio talk show host for 25 years, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is one of a very few doctors board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology.
