Osteoarthritis prevention

By the age of 65, more than 50% of us will have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis, a disease in which the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones at the joints breaks down, causing the bones to rub against each other. For many, the result is stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint. While osteoarthritis is more common with age, it is not an inevitable part of ageing. As researchers work to understand the causes of osteoarthritis, they are able to offer advice to help try to prevent the disease or its progression, and reduce its impact on your life.

Here are four steps you can take now to try to prevent osteoarthritis or its progression.

1. Control your weight.

If you are at a healthy weight, maintaining that weight may be the most important thing you can do to try to prevent osteoarthritis. If you are overweight, losing weight may be your best help against the disease.

Being overweight puts a strain on the joints, particularly those that bear the body's weight such as the knees, hips and joints of the feet, causing the cartilage to wear away. In addition, people with more body fat may have higher blood levels of substances that cause inflammation, which may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Weight loss of at least 5% of your body weight may reduce stress on your knees, hips and lower back, and inflammation in your body. In a US study of osteoarthritis in the state of  Massachusetts, researchers estimated that overweight women who lost 11 pounds (five kilos) or about two Body Mass Index (BMI) points, reduced their risk of osteoarthritis by more than 50%, while a comparable weight gain was associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee at a later stage.

If you already have osteoarthritis, losing weight may help improve symptoms.

2. Exercise.

If the muscles that run along the front of the thigh are weak, research shows you have an increased risk of painful osteoarthritis of the knee. Fortunately, even relatively minor increases in the strength of these muscles, the quadriceps, can reduce the risk.

One exercise designed to strengthen the quadriceps is isometric moves and wall slides. To do these, stand with your back to a wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. Then lean back against the wall, placing your feet out in front of you as far as you comfortably can. Bend at your knees, put your hands on your waist and slide with your spine maintaining contact with the wall until you reach a sitting position (your knees should not bend more than 90 degrees). Then slowly slide back to your original position. Repeat eight to 10 times.

If fear of joint pain after exercise keeps you from exercising, try using heat and cold on painful joints, or take pain relievers, which may make it easier for you to exercise and stay active. The safest exercises are those that place the least body weight on the joints, such as cycling, walking and swimming. Light weight-lifting exercises are another option, but if you already have osteoarthritis, you should first discuss this with your doctor.