Page 9 - Osteoarthritis

a sturdy structure. The problem is that we are not

making a stable non-moving structure. We are

making replacement tissue for a joint which has

many moving parts. When the body lays down scar

tissue and calcium deposits, it interferes with the

motion of the joint by taking up too much space

and ties down or interferes with other working parts

of the joint like tendons and ligaments.

The bottom line is that you do not want to

undergo the structural changes seen in arthritis.

Once those changes happen it is difficult or

impossible to return the joint to a healthy state. The

best thing that can be done for arthritis is

prevention.

Asking someone to stop using their joints is not

realistic. We still need to live our lives. However,

steps can be taken to reduce inflammation, increase

local blood flow and reinforce the cartilage and

bone at the joint so there is less damage to the

tissue over time. It is also important that the body

has both resources and means to keep the tissue as

healthy as possible as long as possible.

Over the counter Arthritis medications are

mostly designed to limit inflammation and pain.