How Degenerative Arthritis Affects Your Body

Degenerative arthritis, how does it affect your body? It is a serious condition that causes the person to be in a lot of pain. This disease affects millions of people that are located all over the globe. Many people know it better as osteoarthritis and when this condition worsens it is referred to as degenerative arthritis. This condition is the most common form of arthritis and it affects different joints in the body. Most commonly it affects the spine, knees, hips, fingers and toes and it can be in more than one joint at a time. The joints have a substance made of protein between them to prevent them from rubbing together called cartilage. Degenerative arthritis breaks down causing the cartilage to deteriorate leaving the bones exposed.

Degenerative arthritis causes spurs or new bone to develop where the cartilage use to be. These spurs can be extremely painful and hard to live with. As a person gets older they are more likely to get this disease because the protein that makes up the cartilage begins to break down and the quantity of water will increase. Doctors will refer to degenerative arthritis as either primary or secondary. Primary just seems to happen with age and no one really knows why so it really isn't a lot that you can do about the condition.

Usually the cause of secondary osteoarthritis can be determined because it was due to wear and tear on the body. Most of the time, the person with this condition has used the affected area repeatedly over several years. For example, there are a lot of jobs that require a person to perform the same task over and over for many years. When this happens the cartilage between the joints they are using is being worn down and over a few years degenerative arthritis can set in. This is why it would be best if you can avoid using joints repeatedly if you can.

It is important to know as much about degenerative arthritis and your body as you can. Even though there is not a single thing you can do to prevent this getting this disease when you get older, you can reduce your risks. Being overweight can cause damage to your spine, hips and knees. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight can help to eliminate extra strain on the body in these areas and reduce the odds of having this disease in these joints. It is important that everyone do all they can to prolong or eliminate this disease from their future to avoid a lot of unnecessary suffering.