MYTHS ABOUT OSTEOARTHRITIS 1. Ican’texercisewithjointpain-lowimpactexercisessuchaswalking,swimming,TaiChiandYogacan
actuallylessenjointpain,strengthenmusclesthatsupportjoints,andimprovesymptomsofOA.Many
programsareavailableinyourcommunitytopromotephysicalactivity,likeWalkwithaDoc!
2. ArthritisIsinevitableasIage-TheriskofdevelopingOAdoesincreasewithage,buttherearemany
thingssuchasexercise,weightmanagement,restingafterjoint-relatedinjuries,andconsultingwith
yourdoctortocomeupwithapreventionstrategy,thatyoucandotoloweryourrisk.
3. Dietdoesn’taffectyourjoints-beingoverweightputsextrastrainonyourjoints(1poundofweight=4
poundsofpressureonyourknees),increasingthelikelihoodthatyouwilldevelopOAandincreasingthe
rateatwhichOAwillprogress.Eatingahealthydiethelpsyoumaintainahealthyweight.
4. Crackingknucklescausesosteoarthritis(OA)-whilecrackingyourknucklescanhurttendonsinyour
hands,itwillnotcauseOA.
5. ActiveteenagerscannotgetOA-sportsinjuriescanincreaseateenager’schancesofdevelopingOA.
Includingspecifictrainingcomponentsthatwillimprovestrengthinlowerlimbsandjoints,balance,and
athleticperformancewillreducetheriskofinjuryduringpracticeandcompetitionand,therefore,
reducetheriskofdevelopingOAlaterinlife.
6. Myjobdoesn'tinvolverepetitivemotion,soIwon'tgetOA-thosewhohavejobsthatinvolve
repetitivemotionsareatgreaterriskofdevelopingOA;however,peoplewithdeskjobsarealsoatan
increasedrisk.Takingbreaksoccasionallytostretchandwalkaroundcanstrengthenmusclesand
decreasethisrisk.
7. Idon’tneedtoseeadoctorforjointpain-Itisincorrecttoassumethatnothingcanbedonetomanage
OAsymptomsorthatsurgeryistheonlyoption.Exercise,weightloss,painmanagementtechniques,
alternativetherapies,andmedications(bothprescriptionandoverthecounter)areallwaysthatjoint
paincanbemanaged.Consultingadoctoristhebestwaytofindouthowtobestmanagejointpain.
8. MyparenthadOA,soIwillgetittoo-WhileyourchancesofdevelopingOAaregreaterifoneofyour
parentshadit,itisnotdefinite.Regularlyexercisingandmaintainingahealthyweightcandecreaseyour
riskofdevelopingOA,orslowprogressionifyoualreadyhaveOA.
9. Weathercancausearthritis-weathercan’tcauseanotherwisehealthyindividualtodeveloparthritis,
butdampclimatescanworsenthepainofsomeonewhoalreadyhasarthritis.
10. Arthritisisnotaserioushealthproblem-ArthritisisthemostcommoncauseofdisabilityintheUnited
States,affectingover52millionpeople--aboutoneineveryfiveU.S.adults--andtheirfamilies.
Osteoarthritis,specifically,affectsover30millionUSadults.Theeconomicburdenisalsolarge,with
estimatedcostsofmorethan$188billionayear--$108billioninlostwages,and$80billioninmedical
oaaction.unc.edu
care.Fortunately,youcanmakesureyou'renotanarthritisstatistic.Youcanstarttodaybyeatingright,
exercising,andtakingcareofyourbody.
References:
everydayHEALTHwebsite:10MythsAboutOsteoarthritis,accessedJuly2016:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/osteoarthritis-pictures/10-myths-about-osteoarthritis.aspx
CDCwebsiteforArthritis,accessedJuly2016:http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/index.htm
OAAAOnlineResourceLibrary>InjuryPrevention,accessedJuly25,2016:https://oaaction.unc.edu/resourcelibrary/injury-prevention/
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ConsensusOpinionforontheBestPracticeFeaturesofLowerLimbInjuryPreventionPrograms-
ExecutiveSummary
ConsensusOpinionforBestPracticeFeaturesofLowerLimbInjuryPreventionPrograms(LLIPP)
oaaction.unc.edu