Facts You Need to Know About Osteoarthritis

Women Are More At Risk

As the National Institute on Aging states, before the age of forty-five, men are more likely to develop symptoms of osteoarthritis. However, after forty-five, women are more at risk. But why is this?

For starters, women tend to naturally have wider hips than men, which could put extra strain on the knees. Also, women are more likely to have joint hypermobility, which puts even more wear-and-tear on the joints. Joint hypermobility might even cause earlier onsets of osteoarthritis. Additionally, childbirth and osteoarthritis seem to have some correlation. Studies have shown the more children a woman bears, the more likely she becomes to develop knee or hip arthritis and need a knee replacement later in life. Hormones and weight might also play a role as to why women are more at risk after they turn forty-five. Decreased estrogen and even a lack of testosterone might increase risk. And since women have a slightly increased obesity risk, weight management through lifestyle choices can lessen the risk for osteoarthritis.