Mainly, osteoarthritis is a painful problem with the joints. Healthy joints help your body move, bend, and twist. Knees glide up and down stairs without creaking or crunching. Hips move you along on a walk without a complaint. But when you have arthritis, such simple, everyday movements can hurt. Using the stairs can be painful. Walking a few steps, opening a door, and even combing your hair can be hard.

Arthritis is a disease of the spine, hip, hand, knee, and foot Click here to see an illustration.. But it can happen in other joints too. A joint is where two bones connect. And you have them all over your body. This is most common in older people. Even though you can’t cure arthritis, there are many treatments that can help with your pain and make it easier for you to move. And you can do things to keep the damage from getting worse.

The simplest way to describe arthritis is that it’s wear and tear on the cartilage of your joints. Your joints have cushioning inside them called cartilage. This tissue is firm, thick, and slippery. It covers and protects the ends of bones where they meet to form a joint.

With arthritis, there are changes in the cartilage that cause it to break down. When it breaks down, the bones rub together and cause damage and pain. Experts don’t know why this breakdown in cartilage happens. But aging, joint injury, being overweight, and genetics may be a part of the reason.

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