Risks for Osteoarthritis

Dr. Felson offers us a new paradigm to understand what goes wrong to cause osteoarthritis (OA). A paradigm is a pattern or model for something. A paradigm shift occurs when traditional thinking changes about something like OA.

The new way to look at OA is through risk factors that affect joint protectors. Joint protectors include the cartilage, muscles, tendons, and mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors are nerves that tell the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and capsule to get ready for the load or movement. All the soft tissues assume a position of protection. They keep the joint from moving too far, and they spread out the load.

Aging, muscle weakness, and genetics play a role in causing joint protectors to fail. Alignment problems and joint deformities are also risk factors. Also important are factors that affect the load on the joint, such as obesity and some physical activities.

Injury to the joint puts it at risk for OA. Anything that can cause failure of joint protectors can be a problem. Increased load or overload added to this kind of failure can lead to OA. In this article, the author discusses each of the risk factors and brings us up to date about each one.