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How do you know if you have or may get arthritis? Can you take steps to prevent it?
Besides getting help by finding a doctor, get first hand insights to how you can assess arthritis symptoms through age, gender and ethnicity.
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Know your risk & prevent arthritis
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Think you can't get arthritis? Think again. Although arthritis is more common in older people, the disease can occur in someone of any age.
In addition, certain factors that affect your risk, such as sports injuries or overuse, begin when you're young so it is important to learn about your personal level now. Armed with that information, you can take steps early to prevent arthritis and the disability that can come with it.
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What are the risks?
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The Risks faced by the Baby-Boom Generation
If you are a baby boomer, you may think you are still too young to worry about something like arthritis, but the disease doesn't only affect older people in their 20s and 30s; and the most common form - osteoarthritis - often begins as early as age 40.
The Risks faced by Young Adults
In your 20s through 40s, you've got more important things to worry about than arthritis, right? Your career, your kids, your family. But it is never too early to think about arthritis. Research has found that young adults with knee injuries have six times the risk of developing OA by 65 than people without knee injuries, and for those with hip injuries, the risk is three times greater. Weight-bearing joints like the hips and the knees are the ones most often affected by arthritis after injury.
It pays to protect yourself now.
The Risks faced by Seniors
Arthritis risk increases as you age, often beginning after age 40.
By age 65, more than half of the population has X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint.
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In particular,
women are at higher risk of many forms of arthritis than men.
Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and fibromyalgia are conditions that occur much more often in women than in men, although men have a higher risk of osteoarthritis than women until age 55. After 55, women are more commonly affected.
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People who are more than 10 pounds overweight have a higher risk for arthritis, especially in weight-bearing joints like the knees.
Increased weight puts significantly more pressure on joints, causing cartilage to break down faster than usual.
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A past severe knee injury,
which also damages cartilage and leads to quicker breakdown, adds to arthritis risk.
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men & arthritis
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Although the majority of people affected by arthritis are women,
many men get arthritis too.
Here are the special risk factors for arthritis that men face:
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| (a) |
Increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA) after age 40. |
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Higher risk for OA when 10 pounds or more overweight. |
| (c) |
Past sports-related cartilage injuries that accelerate the breakdown that leads to OA. |
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How to avoid injuries
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Preventing injuries during sports and exercise is a key step you can take now to limit your risk of arthritis as you age.
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| (a) |
Choose the right sport or exercise. You'll be less likely to face injury if you pick something you're comfortable with. |
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Use proper equipment and protective gear. |
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Cross train. Varying your activity instead of doing the same thing each time helps prevent injury and repetitive strain. |
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Listen to your body. Don't push through pain. If something hurts, take a break. |
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Get proper care for injuries so they heal properly. |
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Strengthen muscles around joints. |
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Source: Arthritis Foundation
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