The rheumatic disorders are common, cause great discomfort, invalidism, and loss of working capacity. Perhaps the commonest is osteoarthritis or more correctly osteoarthrosis as it is not an inflammatory disorder.
Osteoarthrosis is a degenerative joint disorder and evidence of this may be seen in joints as early as the twenties and by the forties 90 per cent of us have some signs. However, eventually only a third of those with this condition show symptoms.
It is so common and increases with age that it is regarded as a degenerative disorder, that is a wearing out process. Our joints are lined with cartilage or gristle, a smooth tissue that enables the bone surfaces forming the joint to move easily over each other.
This is living tissue and due to the constant wear and tear and the friction imposed on the surface of the cartilage, particularly in the weight bearing joints, it is constantly wearing out and degenerating but at the same time it is being replaced.
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