Osteoarthritis does occur with age but it comes with no symptoms. It is almost two-thirds of the people that even after undergoing x-ray do not show any symptoms of Osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint disease causes pain, swelling and affects hand, knees and hip joints and even in the spines.
Joints are found at the junction of two bones. The joints need to be flexible to allow smooth movement. It should also be stable enough to support weight and absorb tremendous force without wavering. Muscles are attached to the joints through fibrous tendons. It is the contraction and the relaxation of the muscles that helps in the movement of the joints. For example, if you bend your elbow, your biceps contract but your triceps relaxes. Again the muscles need to be strong enough to provide strength to the joints as does the ligaments. With muscles and ligaments providing the stability to the joints, we do also have smooth, shiny and slippery tissue that has no blood vessels or nerves known as the cartilages. Cartilage, the living tissue gets its nutrition from the joint fluid that also acts as lubrication for the smooth movement of the joints.
