Women and arthritis

Arthritis occurs mainly in women, leaving more severe and difficult-to-treat damage than in men. Nowadays, this disease tends to attack young women.

Knee arthritis is increasingly affecting young women - Photo: Shutterstock

In 2000, more than 53,000 women in the United States between the ages of 20 and 39 were diagnosed with arthritis; 10 years later, that number skyrocketed to 230,000, orthopedic surgeon Zackary Vaughn told Womenshealthmag. According to Zackary, there are several causes of the disease.

Ligament injury.Ligaments are like rubber bands, normally they are elastic. When a ligament is stretched too far, like a rubber band, it will never return to its normal state. In some severe cases, the ligament ends are torn and no longer connect to the bone, causing severe pain.

Ligaments are damaged by activities related to sports or walking too much. More than half of women who suffer some type of ligament-related injury will end up with arthritis as a result.

HormoneHormones can make women's joints more susceptible to damage. Recent research suggests that knee muscles work differently at different points in the menstrual cycle, which can destabilize the joints and lead to injury.

SexScientists at Oregon State University (USA) discovered that men's muscles respond to nerve impulses at a faster rate than women's. This difference suggests that women's muscles are less able to react effectively at critical moments, making them more susceptible to joint injuries.

Cartilage damage.Orthopedic surgeon Donald Goodfellow, in the US, said that losing balance in simple positions such as squatting can also damage knee cartilage.

While it’s impossible to completely avoid arthritis (cartilage naturally breaks down as we age), we can limit the damage to it and keep our knees healthy. Obesity is a risk factor for arthritis, so maintaining a healthy weight is key to keeping the disease at bay, experts say.

Tknee osteoarthritis. Is a condition of aging of the joints. Aged articular cartilage becomes rough, loses its smoothness, elasticity, becomes dry and cracked, worn, defective... The degree of aging varies from person to person, depending on each person's living conditions. The 3 common symptoms of knee osteoarthritis are joint pain, joint swelling and limited movement.

Cigarette. According to many studies, the ingredients in cigarettes can damage healthy cartilage cells. High heels are also the culprit that harms joints, because the body's weight is concentrated on the feet, especially on the knee joints when moving, said Dr. Constance Chu, an expert in sports training at Stanford University (USA).

According to thanhnien