Osteoarthritis 101 Part 1: Risk Factors and Common Symptoms

Arthritis refers to a group of diseases that involve degeneration of your bodily joints, particularly those in your knees, hands, spine and hips. Its most common form is osteoarthritis, affecting approximately 30 million Americans. This condition causes pain, reduced mobility and poor gait when left unmanaged. Here, your trusted pain management clinic, Terrapin Care Center, discusses osteoarthritis in detail.

Risk Factors and Causes

Your joints are covered by slippery, firm tissues known as cartilage, which serve as cushions to reduce the impact on your bones whenever you’re moving. They also provide a smooth surface where your joints can glide without generating too much friction, ensuring smooth joint mobility. A number of factors may cause them to deteriorate over time, resulting in osteoarthritis.

Increasing age, obesity and heredity are some common risk factors. According to your massage therapy experts, women are also more likely to have this condition. Those who overuse their joints as well as individuals with joint injuries and bone deformities are at a higher risk of having this problem.

Common Manifestations

As your cartilage gradually wear down, your bones rub against each other, resulting in their damage. An x-ray image may show bone fragments surrounding the impaired joints, initiating an inflammatory response. This may further damage your cartilage, leading to joint pain.

Sometimes, even light pressure causes a grating sensation and tenderness on the affected joint. You may also notice stiff joints, especially after waking up in the morning or after a period of inactivity. Your trusted physical therapy center explains that this problem may reduce your flexibility as well, limiting your joints’s range of motion.

Fortunately, Terrapin Care Center offers a wide range of services to manage osteoarthritis. Be sure to check out the last installment of this two-part blog to learn more about them. You may also call us at (301) 220-1930, or complete our form to schedule an appointment. We serve Greenbelt, Silver Spring and nearby MD areas.

Arthritis refers to a group of diseases that involve degeneration of your bodily joints, particularly those in your knees, hands, spine and hips. Its most common form is osteoarthritis, affecting approximately 30 million Americans. This condition causes pain, reduced mobility and poor gait when left unmanaged. Here, your trusted pain management clinic, Terrapin Care Center, discusses osteoarthritis in detail.

Risk Factors and Causes

Your joints are covered by slippery, firm tissues known as cartilage, which serve as cushions to reduce the impact on your bones whenever you’re moving. They also provide a smooth surface where your joints can glide without generating too much friction, ensuring smooth joint mobility. A number of factors may cause them to deteriorate over time, resulting in osteoarthritis.

Increasing age, obesity and heredity are some common risk factors. According to your massage therapy experts, women are also more likely to have this condition. Those who overuse their joints as well as individuals with joint injuries and bone deformities are at a higher risk of having this problem.

Common Manifestations

As your cartilage gradually wear down, your bones rub against each other, resulting in their damage. An x-ray image may show bone fragments surrounding the impaired joints, initiating an inflammatory response. This may further damage your cartilage, leading to joint pain.

Sometimes, even light pressure causes a grating sensation and tenderness on the affected joint. You may also notice stiff joints, especially after waking up in the morning or after a period of inactivity. Your trusted physical therapy center explains that this problem may reduce your flexibility as well, limiting your joints’s range of motion.

Fortunately, Terrapin Care Center offers a wide range of services to manage osteoarthritis. Be sure to check out the last installment of this two-part blog to learn more about them. You may also call us at (301) 220-1930, or complete our form to schedule an appointment. We serve Greenbelt, Silver Spring and nearby MD areas.

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