Who’s at Risk for Developing Arthritis?

We’d all like to avoid the development of arthritis, if possible. But when you think that over 54 million Americans have some form of arthritis, that could be easier said than done.

At TruWell Health, all we do is help our patients through the pain of their arthritis. We often have patients ask if there was something they could have done to prevent their arthritis. We usually say, “A qualified maybe.” That’s particularly true with osteoarthritis, “wear and tear arthritis” because it is basically due to the degradation of the joints over our lifetime. Sitting in a chair and not playing sports or participating in other activities may have saved your joints a little damage, but it probably didn’t do your overall health any favors.

Still, there are various risk factors for developing arthritis. Let’s get into those in this blog.

Risk factors

• Family history— Some types of arthritis run in families. If your parents or siblings have it, it’s more likely you’ll also develop it at some point. It appears genetic markers make a person more susceptible to environmental factors that can then trigger arthritis.
• Age — With many forms of arthritis, the older you are the more likely you become. This is particularly true with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.
• Your sex— If you’re a man, you’re far more likely than a woman to develop gout, particularly if have some dietary patterns. If you’re a woman, you’re more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
• Previous joint injury— When you’re watching a football game and a player goes down with a knee or shoulder injury, there’s a good chance that joint will become arthritic down the road due to the initial injury.
• Obesity— If you consider physics, when you’re overweight, you’re placing more force on your joints all the time. This is particularly true on the knees, hips, and spine (particularly the lumbar spine). These joints then become more likely to degrade with osteoarthritis.

At TruWell Health in St. Pete, Dr Lora Brown is a pioneer in the field of interventional pain medicine. Her treatments aim to control your pain, minimize your joint damage, and improve your quality of life.

If you’re dealing with chronic pain from arthritis, please give Dr. Brown a call at TruWell Health, (727) 440-5410, and let’s see how we can help.