Osteoarthrits: You Can Feel It In the Knees - By: Dan Brathers

Researchers have concluded that about 50% of adults in the United States will develop some sort of arthritis in their knees. This disease is called knee osteoarthritis. It is a leading cause of arthritis and the number of cases of this disease is increasing.

Researchers that have worked have based their conclusions on data from over 3,000 people that are over 40 years old in North Carolina.
In the midst of these studies, researchers have also concluded that obese people are at a higher risk of developing this disorder. This is due to the excessive amount of weight putting an additional amount of pressure on the knee. Over 30% of people that are considered normal-weight have osteoarthritis in their knees. Approximately over 60% of obese people end up developing this disease along with over 40% of overweight people.

These findings simply conclude that a helpful way of reducing the chances of developing knee osteoarthritis is to keep your weight within a normal range. By not keeping weight down chances of developing this disease greatly increases, especially as you age.

Researchers took note that there were no differences in race, sex or even the level of one's education while doing these studies. The people were only interviewed and had X-rays for their knees during an exam.

Also, there was report that gave information showing that there was a large increase of hospitalizations due to this disorder. Hospitalizations due to osteoarthritis rose from over 700,000 in 2006 from over 300,000 since the mid 1990s. This is mostly because of a large increase in knee replacement operations.

Another study has shown that from 2000 to 2006, surgery for knee replacement has risen to over 60 percent and surgery for hip replacement has risen to over 20 percent.

This disease is the most common type of arthritis and it can affect any joint. Unfortunately there is no cure and it gradually worsens over time.

About the Author

Dan Brathers has shown great interest in lift chairs in the United States. To view more information about stair lifts, please visit, A1 Medical Supplies.

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