Are You Doomed to Have Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease affecting Americans as they age. It may begin in middle age, but sometimes younger people can start feeling the aches and pains of a disease that affects more than 27 million of us.
Arthritis comes in many different varieties; gout and rheumatoid arthritis are just of the better known disorders characterized as arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common and, unfortunately, it’s also the least researched of all the types of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis brings progressive damage to the joint cartilage, which is the slippery substance at the end of bones that helps joints move. When the joints are damaged by age or overuse, they begin to weaken, loosen and ache. As the cartilage thins, bones rub against each other and patients suffer intense pain that limits movement and causes swelling. Weight-bearing joints in the kneed, hips and spine are commonly affected.
For more than two decades, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), a not-for-profit 501(C) (3) organization, has been studying osteoarthritis to find the answers to preventing the disease. Study participants donate their time to be X-rayed every two years to note the progression of the disease. They complete detailed questionnaires about their exercise habits, diets, supplements, medications and other lifestyle areas. The data is used by epidemiologist Frances Vaughn Wilder, Ph.D. and exercise physiologist Matt Rogers, M.S. to determine which factors lead to osteoarthritis.
Their findings have been published in many peer-reviewed journals and they have presented preliminary findings at major professional conferences. Each day, they are closer to finding connections between lifestyle habits and osteoarthritis. Although there’s a strong link between heredity and osteoarthritis, participants with parents who had osteoarthritis don’t always develop the disease as they age.
“I am confident that, the more we learn about osteoarthritis, the more we will be able to tie healthful lifestyle habits to its prevention,” said Dr. Wilder. “We have a long way to go, but we are already finding links between exercise, good nutrition and the prevention of osteoarthritis.”
ARIA’s research will continue until the key to preventing osteoarthritis, said Dr. Wilder. To help ARIA find the key, make a tax-deductible donation by calling (727) 461-4054 or contacting the Arthritis Research Institute of America, 300 S. Duncan Ave., Suite 188, Clearwater, FL 33755.
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