| Osteoarthritis is known by many as "wear and tear" | | | | instance, X-rays can tell that Arthritis is present, yet |
| Arthritis. It is one of the most common forms of | | | | the amount of pain reported by Osteoarthritis |
| Arthritis and is the result of cartilage wearing away | | | | sufferers differs from the results of the X-ray. |
| from the joints. This cartilage is responsible for the | | | | Though many people refer to Osteoarthritis as the |
| smooth gliding of joints, and once it begins to | | | | "wear and tear" disease, evidence shows that this |
| deteriorate, the patient is left with pain, joint swelling | | | | disease and its mysterious cause are not as simple as |
| and inflammation, and even deformity. | | | | that definition. In fact, "wear and tear" does not take |
| Osteoarthritis patients usually state that their pain is | | | | place in just one joint, but affects joints |
| greatest during times of movement, and then lessens | | | | simultaneously throughout the body. An example of |
| significantly during periods of rest. Osteoarthritis | | | | this, is that sufferers with Osteoarthritis of the knee, |
| affects many more women than men. There is an | | | | offer suffer Osteoarthritis in the hand. Also, doctors |
| estimated 24 million Osteoarthritis sufferers in the | | | | have noted that patients don't suffer with |
| United States and roughly 74% are women. | | | | Osteoarthritis on just one side of the body (as would |
| The cause of Osteoarthritis is not known, yet | | | | be expected due to wear and tear) but because it |
| doctors have many suspicions. Some of the | | | | seems to affect the body concurrently, it appears |
| symptoms of Osteoarthritis boggle the minds of | | | | that Osteoarthritis is a systematic disease affecting |
| scientists and more research needs to take place to | | | | all of the cartilage at once. |
| determine the actual root of the disease. For | | | | |