Sports and Osteoarthritis, Inflammation and Pain

Osteoarthritis is one of the better known and more experienced arthritic conditions, if not treated and managed efficiently it can lead to chronic pain, loss of mobility and eventual disfigurement. Not the sorts of things you’ll want to experience at any time in your life really, but especially not in your first few decades. Though osteoarthritis and most similar conditions are much more common in the elderly populations, it’s more than possible to get them at any age and they tend to be much more of a likely concern for those sportsmen and women amongst us.

For those who play a lot of sport, be it in teams, competitively, marathon running or anything else which is high impact and strenuous on your joints, it’s much more likely you’re going to get arthritis early. This goes to show that almost nothing we do is entirely good for us and all things require moderation, if you’re going to do a lot of sport the remember to spend time taking it easy too. We weren’t built to be on the go all the time.

For those who’ve had reconstructive surgery on their knees, the chance of osteoarthritis goes up by a staggering amount. 90% of patients will experience the condition as much as 20 years after the surgery and up until now no-one’s known why. I hasten to add that we still don’t entirely but new research is being launched which is aiming to find out just that, this is the first research of its kind and as such is a real glimmer of hope for the sufferers of this condition and sportspeople everywhere.
Remember to talk to your GP about the potential for osteoarthritis if you’re going to be receiving reconstructive joint surgery, you may well find there are steps you can take to try and prevent the condition from surfacing in the first place.