The point where the ends of two or more bones meet is called a joint. Most of your joints, like the knee, spine and hand joints, are movable joints. Their structure enables us to bend, straighten, and twist our arms, legs, and back. In a healthy joint, the bones are protected from physical wear and tear. The joint absorbs shock from repetitive movements like walking. Each part of the joint plays an important role in providing flexibility, support, stability, and protection, all of which are essential for normal and painless movement. Arthritis affects nearly 43 million Americans, roughly one American in six. Based on predictions of population growth, in 2020 an estimated 60 million Americans will have some form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type; it affects more than 20 million Americans. An estimated 2.1 million people, about 1% of all American adults, have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Living with arthritis is a challenge. But more options and support are available than ever before to help people manage joint problems.
If you have joint pain, stiffness, and/or swelling for more than two weeks, you may have arthritis.
- Stiffness following periods of rest.
- Pain that worsens with joint use.
- Loss of joint function
- Joint tenderness
- Creaking and cracking of joints on movement.
- Restricted mobility.
- Loss of movement.
- Stiffness and swelling in the joints.
- Snapping of the joints.
- Morning stiffness
- Bony growths at the joints and abnormal.
- Excessive wear on the joints
- Joint injuries from sports and other high-impact activity
- Age, as we age, the number and the activity of critical repair enzymes is greatly of critical repair enzymes is greatly reduced, making the joint structures especially prone to damage
- Deformity of the bones in a joint
- Work-related activities or accidents
- Obesity
