What Causes Arthritis?

There are two types of arthritis called primary osteoarthritis and secondary osteoarthritis. The primary osteoarthritis is the deterioration of cartilage in the joints for no apparent reason (which means it might be due to genetic or hereditary factors). Secondary osteoarthritis is more understandable because doctors know several causes for the condition.

In either type of osteoarthritis, the cartilage deteriorates leaving bones in joints without a cushion. One of the early signs arthritis is developing is when you hear a small cracking noise which is actually due to roughened cartilage.

This small warning sign gives you a chance to make some lifestyle changes, such as adding cartilage building supplements and exchanging jogging for the elliptical machine.

Most secondary osteoarthritis is caused by trauma to the joint. This trauma is what causes arthritis and may be a sudden severe injury or the normal wear and tear experienced as you age. You can actually spend a lifetime avoiding excessive wear on your joints, but even an accident may lead to conditions ripe for arthritis.

Following is a summary of the major reasons why arthritis forms in the joints.

• Being overweight or obese – people who are overweight put more pressure on their joints which causes the cartilage to wear
• Injury to the joint – an injury to joint bone or cartilage can lead to osteoarthritis

• Bone overgrowth in the joint – a bone may not heal correctly after being damaged somehow and too much bone grows at the bone end which wears on the cartilage
• Repetitive motion injuries – joints that experience the same movements over and over again for years may develop osteoarthritis
• Normal wear and tear – normal aging and years of joint use can wear out cartilage

Repetitive motion injuries really could be considered almost the same as normal wear and tear except that motion repetition directly causes particular joints to incur damage.

For example, a construction worker swinging a hammer year after year may develop osteoarthritis in the wrist and fingers or a dancer could end up with osteoarthritis in the knees and ankles. These people may not have developed osteoarthritis except for the repetitive motions.

There's one more point to understand about what causes arthritis. Cartilage can slowly wear out and pieces break away. When that happens, the bones will rub together and may develop bones spurs. Sometimes the cartilage just wears away and there are no pieces floating in the joint fluid.

Sometimes cartilage is injured and the healing process leads to a build-up of cartilage that causes abnormal joint operation. Your body heals itself right into a case of osteoarthritis!

Glucosamine sulfate is a popular dietary supplement. Glucosamine sulfate is often used in combination with chondroitin. Studies of glucosamine-chondroitin for osteoarthritis have shown the combination is better than placebo, but benefits seem to depend on severity of pain.

Methylsulfonylmethane (also known as MSM) is a dietary supplement. Information on the uses, health benefits and side effects of methylsulfonylmethane. Results from a small 12 week pilot clinical trial, published in 2006, showed MSM improved symptoms and function for knee osteoarthritis.