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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