Archive for the ‘About Knee Osteoarthritis’ Category
Women and OA
Biology, hormones, and obesity are a few of the reasons why women suffer from knee osteoarthritis(OA) more than men. 60% of the 27 million people who suffer from OA are female.
Women are also more prone to experience osteoarthritis in the knees than men. Why?
Biology is one reason. Women give birth and their bodies are built to handle it. As compared to men, their hips are wider and their joints are more relaxed. When joints are less stable they are more prone to injury.
Genetics is also a factor. Families pass down OA from generation to generation. There appears to be a particular genetic link for women, specifically when it comes to the hands and knees.
Female hormones also have an effect on cartilage. After menopause women lose some of the ability for their bodies to protect its cartilage. Also, women tend to keep some weight around their bellies following menopause. Additional weight casues problems for arthritic knees.
Sorry ladies.
my knee hurts
OA usually develops in knees that have been injured, experienced trauma, or infection. The medical field does not yet completely understand the exact causes of osteoarthritis, but being overweight and not exercising are believed to make the condition worse.
The knee is a complicated joint. An injury or change in anatomy will alter the way it moves and works. Age, gender, obesity, injury, genetics, and overuse all play a part.
Learn more about how osteoarthritis develops in the knees.
Knee arthritis is one of the most common illnesses among aging individuals particularly those over the age of 65. Depending on the type, arthritis may be caused by different factors such as; joint infection, or age. And among the most common types of such diseases are the following:
-Osteoarthritis
-Rheumatoid Arthritis
-Septic Arthritis
-Still’s Disease
Each type may show different symptoms, but there has been significant advances in joint health supplements that can work to combat the degenerative effects.
Causes of knee pain
It is estimated that women comprise 60% of the 27 million people in the United States that have osteoarthritis (OA). Why?
Generally men will develop OA at a younger age than women. But at 55 women begin to develop OA with an increased frequency and severity. The reasons are biological, anatomical, and fashion related.
Women generally have a higher percentage of body fat than men. So they carry more weight relative to their skeletal structures. More weight means more wear and tear the knees absorb with every step. Also researchers believe that estrogen helps protect cartilage. At menopause when estrogen levels drop, so does the protection for the cartilage. So as women age, their knees take more abuse with less protection.
In addition, women have wider hips than men and the tendons surrounding their knees are more lax. The hourglass shape helps facilitate child birth but puts females at a bio-mechancial disadvantage to men in regards to how weight is distributed across their knee joints.
Fashion must also be figured into the OA equation. Most men don’t wear high heels. A Harvard study explained that high heels were shown to strain the knees and stress the surrounding anatomy.
Add genetics. Heredity certainly plays a role. There is a good chance that the daughter of a woman with Knee OA will have Knee OA herself.
Most people are familiar with arthritis and its various symptoms, but there is less mainstream understanding of the specific types, such as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and can occur in any joint in the body, although osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the most frequent. Some of the common symptoms include pain, loss of flexibility and bone spurs
Like many diseases, there is not a single cause, but doctors suspect that it is a combination of aging, heredity, muscle weakness and other factors. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the osteoarthritis, and it will worsen over time. However, several treatments can provide temporary pain relief.