What is Osteoporosis Arthritis?
Osteoarthritis affects over 20 million Americans. Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease results from physical changes in the joints. These joints are such as the shoulder; knee, hip or in this case, the hand. How and Why Osteoarthritis Effects Joints: Joints are generally encapsulated and contain synovial fluid allowing free and smooth movement. They also have a protective coating of cartilage that protects the bones from eroding each other. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage erodes and bones can then come into direct contact with each other causing severe pain. Osteoporosis usually develops over many years with no symptoms. Some factors which aid the progress of osteoporosis include prolonged calcium and protein deficiency and especially low estrogen levels after menopause. Though generally, Osteoarthritis is caused by trauma, it ususally affects multiple members of the same family. This implys that there are hereditary attributes towards the cause of the condition.Up
