The author in this article discusses the future osteoarthritis epidemic.
The Future
Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory joint disease that has its greatest effects on the hip and knee joints. These joints are affected most because they are your weight bearing joints. As our population grows bigger, we are forcing these joints to bear more weight. This will inevitably lead to American adults getting osteoarthritis more often and at earlier ages.
Specialists are predicting that over 67 million Americans will have arthritis by the year 2030. Most of them will have osteoarthritis, not its distant cousin rheumatoid arthritis.
The Children
The sad thing is that our children will be more affected than we are. Never in history have so many children placed so much weight on their hips and knees at such an early age. To help prevent this, the Arthritis Foundation has joined the fight against childhood obesity. The foundation is actively encouraging children to:
- Lose weight
- Get active
- Prevent joint injuries
New Therapy
The author also discusses a new therapy to treat osteoarthritis. When osteoarthritis becomes debilitating or the pain becomes unbearable, the next step is typically joint replacement surgery. However, joint replacement surgeries have their own limitations and complications. A new therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy, may be the answer.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses the person’s own blood to treat their disease. The red blood cells are removed from the blood leaving platelet-rich plasma. This plasma is injected in and around the joint. The theory is that the platelet-associated growth factors encourage the regrowth of the joints damaged tissues.
I hope this therapy turns out to be a good alternative to surgery. However, osteoarthritis prevention via weight loss is still the best option.
For a great weight loss plan to help you lose weight and keep it off, check out the Low Calorie Diet.
Photo by Ed Yourdon.
Source: The Boston Globe
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