Joint Pain Causes and Risk Factors

What causes joint damage?
Physical trauma or injury and arthritis cause damage to joints. Arthritis is a group of conditions that doctors have officially classified as those that cause damage to the joints of the body. However, doctors are not clear about what causes arthritis in most cases. Researchers believe that a combination of factors, such as weight, aging, joint injury or stress, heredity, and muscle weakness all contribute to joint damage. Particularly, researchers have found that inheritance account for 25-30 % percent of arthritis cases; they have identified a gene mutation which weakens collagen protein, which may break or tear more easily under stress. Possible causes of joint damage include:

• aging
• excess body weight
• heredity
• injury
• joint stress
• muscle weakness

Risk factors
A number of different factors can combine and make it more likely that a person will damage her/his joints. For example, athletes are more at risk of joint injury which can cause degenerative damage than non-athletes. Other risk factors for joint damage include:

Age - Degenerative joint damage typically occurs in older adults; people less than 40 years old rarely experience arthritis related diseases.

Family history - People whose close family members are diagnosed with osteoarthritis are more likely to also develop this disease.

Gender - Women are more likely to develop arthritic conditions than men.

Injuries - Injuries that occur when playing sports or from an accident, increase risk of degenerative joint disease.

Medical history - People born with malformed joints or defective cartilage are at increased risk joint damage. Bone and joint diseases can also increase the risk of degenerative joint damage such as Paget's disease of bone and septic arthritis.

Obesity - Additional body weight places more stress on weight-bearing joints, such as the knees. Likewise, obesity may cause arthritis in non-weight bearing joints such as the hands.

The effects of joint damage are not just physical. In fact, lifestyle and finances can also decline with damage to the joints. But how do you know if you are experiencing signs and symptoms of joint damage? If you feel hot or if the skin turns red, are these signs of joint problems? Continue reading here for more information on bad cv joint symptoms.