Page 7 - Osteoarthritis

vessels) such as bone, you get an inflammatory

response. Anytime you have an inflammatory

response, you get redness, swelling, heat and pain.

The reason you get these symptoms is because

damaged tissue gives off chemical signals that

cause an inflammatory response. This

inflammatory response is the body's way of

bringing extra white blood cells to the area via the

blood in an attempt to try and clear out the

damaged tissue, This increased blood flow is what

causes the symptoms of swelling, heat, and redness

seen with inflammation. The pain is a chemical

message sent in response to the tissue damage. Its

purpose is to keep you from using the joint affected

until it has had time to repair it. In other words, it is

trying to prevent you from damaging it further.

When most people think about inflammation,

they look at it in a negative light. Inflammation is

not bad. It is a necessary process in the body. It is

what kills foreign invaders to the body and cleans

out old and damaged tissue so new tissue can be

laid down.

What is bad is too much inflammation.

Chronic or excessive inflammation goes from a