Is Osteoarthritis Preventable?

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, and over half of the population over 65 has this health condition. 

Osteoarthritis is a chronic and progressive disease that causes the cartilage that lubricates your joints to wear away slowly. It causes the bones in your joints to rub together, leading to both irritation and inflammation. As the condition worsens, you can experience pain and stiffness not only in the joints themselves but also in the surrounding muscles and ligaments.

Osteoarthritis was previously considered an unavoidable condition resulting from a long and healthily active life, but more recent research has suggested it might be more complex than that. 

So, for that reason, our team, led by Don Enty, MD, at Genesis Pain and Regenerative Medicine located in Colleyville, Texas, has put together some things you can do to reduce your risk of osteoarthritis. 

How you can prevent osteoarthritis

While preventing osteoarthritis altogether isn’t possible, there are still many ways you can take action to reduce your risk of developing the condition or at least delay its onset and minimize its severity. Let’s take a closer look at some of those things here:

Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight is one of the top contributing risk factors for osteoarthritis. Carrying excess weight puts extra strain on your joints, especially any joint that helps bear your weight, such as your knees and hips. The more weight and stress put on those joints, the faster the cartilage will wear away.

So, losing weight and keeping the weight off is one of the best things you can do to mitigate your risk of osteoarthritis.

Exercise

Staying physically fit can keep your joints healthy, strong, and balanced. By keeping your muscles and joints strong through a balanced exercise routine, your joints can stay lubricated and protected against osteoarthritis. We recommend doing aerobic exercises, muscle strengthening, and flexibility training 150 minutes a week for optimal joint health.

Making healthy lifestyle choices

Some other things you can do to decrease your risk of osteoarthritis include drinking plenty of water, not smoking, and eating a healthy diet. Consuming enough fluids keeps your joints lubricated, and eating a nutritious diet packed with plenty of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids reduces bodily inflammation.

So, what’s next?

Other risk factors for osteoarthritis are out of your control, such as genetics or low estrogen levels during menopause. Because osteoarthritis isn’t completely preventable, our team provides many different treatment options, such as cortisone injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, and human tissue allograft (HTA) to relieve your arthritic pain.

To learn more about how to reduce your risk of osteoarthritis or to get more information on our treatment plans for this condition, contact our team with any questions you may have. You can also schedule an appointment by calling us at 817-482-0188 or using our online scheduler today.