Arthritis researchers don’t have clear explanations of the causes of osteoarthritis. They believe multiple causes influence the development of the disease. The normal ageing process is one. Hidden birth defects may be another. Heredity may also be a factor, especially in the development of primary osteoarthritis.

Research efforts are under way to learn more about causes of arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis, as it affects many people.

Do occupation and lifestyle relate to osteoarthritis? Researchers say that when joints are repeatedly stressed in the same way, osteoarthritis is more likely to develop. For example, a dock worker who bends and lifts all day is more likely to get osteoarthritis in his knees than an accountant who sits at a desk. A football player is more likely to develop osteoarthritis in his knees than a chess player.

How does Osteoarthritis Feel?

If you have osteoarthritis, your answer may be a woeful sigh. Osteoarthritis can hurt. The major symptom is pain, in and around joints. In different individuals the type of pain varies. It may be a constant aching, a feeling of soreness, or a more severe pain when you move your joints. The pain occurs b pressure is placed on the nerve endings due to the deterioration of the smooth cartilage between the bones. Tense muscles may also contribute to your discomfort. Sometimes the pain may radiate to other muscles that seem unrelated to your sore joint.

Another symptom is a reduced capacity for moving sore joints comfortably. This problem is compounded when muscles around the joint are weak.

You may be like many who have osteoarthritis, in that others can’t tell that you have it. Only your inability to move some of your joints smoothly may be noticeable. However, in more severe cases, joints have a knobby look because changes have occurred in the bones with the disintegration of the cartilage covering them.