Osteoarthritis Information

Osteoarthritis (OA), or degenerative joint disease (often called wear and tear arthritis), is one of the most common types of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage. Extensive research has yielded valuable osteoarthritis information.

Cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of bones, and when it breaks down, the bones start to rub against each other. This rubbing action usually causes pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, especially weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.

Osteoarthritis information from other researches show that at the metabolic level, osteoarthritis is characterized by deficiencies in certain nutrients such as selected flavonoids, anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids which regulate the inflammation process. The deficiencies of these nutrients means that certain pain and inflammation pathways are not functioning normally. When this occurs, the body responds by over-producing inflammatory molecules that can damage the joint. These deficiencies have a direct effect on the degradation of cartilage tissue and the progression of disease especially common in the elderly.

Each person's symptoms of osteoarthritis can as different as each person's body types. Symptoms range from very mild to rather debilitating with chronic severe pain even while resting.