What is Osteoarthritis (OA)?
Osteoarthritis (OA) or simply defined as joint pain and inflammation has become a common disease among elderly population and those active in sports. The commonly affected joints are at ankle, knee, wrist, shoulder, spine and hips.
But how is osteoarthritis happen?
Wear and tear is causing joints pain and inflammation. When an injured joint is not well repaired or healed, it will erode the cartilage and the gap between the joints will be narrowed down which cause friction between the bones. This process is called “inflammation induced cartilage self-degradation”.
When “inflammation induced cartilage self-degradation” occurred, it will speed up the cartilage degradation which leads to osteoarthritis and bone spurs.
What is the different stages of Osteroarthritis?
Generally, there are three stages of OA:
Stage1:
10% of the cartilage (cushion) is already loss. Joints is making cracking sounds with mild joints discomfort and inflammation.
Stage 2:
10%-60% of the cartilage (cushion) is already loss. The gap between the joints is narrowing down. You may feel joints stiffness in the morning and knee pain when walk for too long.
Stage 3:
60% of the cartilage (cushion) is already loss and the lubricants is getting lesser. You may feel severe joints pain, stiffness and swelling.
Can you prevent yourself from developing Osteoarthritis?
Yes. Even though there are some risk factors of OA, including age, genetics and gender, there are some lifestyle changes that you can make to slow the course of the disease:
- Low impact of exercise can improve the strength of joint and relieve stiffness.
- Having a healthy weight can reduce extra burden on your joints.
- Diet with healthy fats that rich with Omega-3 can improve and maintain joint health.
- Hot therapy can help in relieving stiffness while cold pack can relieve joint pain, swelling and inflammation.
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but with lifestyle changes it can help you to move better. Some of the supplement might be useful such as glucosamine, chondroitin, Type II collagen and eggshell membrane.
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