FITNESS & NUTRITION
ARTHRITIS
AND DEGENERATIVE CHANGES
BY DR. ALAN H. BRAGMAN
Arthritis is a painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints. The average age of pickleball players is around 60 years of age. And, the majority of middle aged and older individuals have symptoms of osteoarthritis or wear and tear arthritis, a chronic common form of degenerative joint disease. It commonly begins as stiffness and pain in the spine, hips or knees. Typically, it is worse in the morning and gradually improves as the day progresses. Toward the end of the day and into the night, the pain and symptoms reappear.
Osteoarthritis primarily results from a reduction and deterioration of hyaline cartilage. Articular cartilage is the connective tissue between joints that acts as a shock absorber and cushion. This prevents the bony surfaces from rubbing against each other. Cartilage is a gristle like protein matrix that does not regenerate and can be broken down by injuries, wear and tear and aging. Once cartilage wears down, the resulting bone rubbing on bone causes pain, lack of mobility and the formation of bony growth known as osteophytes.
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