Runner's osteoarthritis

The degenerative osteoarthritis in the runner

A joint It is a very special structure that allows one bone to move over another, smoothly and without pain. For this to happen, nature provides us with a very special tissue called hyaline cartilage. We've all seen it at some time: it's that shiny, smooth layer that surrounds the ends of chicken or lamb bones that we call ternilla. This fabric has the ability to withstand high pressure without crushing or breaking.
It is able to slide smoothly over the hyaline cartilage on the other side of the joint, without scratching or cracking, as well as without wearing or injuring the bone it covers.
Hyaline cartilage is living tissue. Inside it are cells called chondrocytes, which are continually manufacturing very special proteins, to keep cartilage healthy and preserve its biomechanical properties: ability to withstand pressure, elasticity and softness.
Sometimes hyaline cartilage begins to lose these biomechanical properties that make it so useful. It is not known where the original problem is, whether in the chondrocytes or in the bone on which the hyaline cartilage rests, but the truth is that the cartilage begins to deteriorate. It doesn't hold pressure as well anymore. It is thinning, cracking and breaking. Sometimes it even exposes the bone it was on. This causes the joint to no longer play its game as before. It's like sand getting into a bearing. What used to be softness and movement is now friction and rigidity.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects the hyaline cartilage that lines the bone surface of the so-called synovial joints (knee, hip, hand joints, etc.)
 
Causes: They may be: Mechanical, genetic, metabolic and nutritional

Genetic, immunological, even mechanical reasons contribute to the gradual destruction of cartilage over time. The organism then responds to the aggression by producing new cells, responsible for replacing the damage caused.
This production, however, is done inadequately, without any control and with poor quality fibers. The evil that the body aims to repair becomes a much bigger problem each time. «The destroyed tissue remains free in the joint and that makes the membrane becomes inflamed and new molecules are produced that further damage the cartilage. A whole chain disaster occurs.
Far from being a static process, osteoarthritis occurs by a imbalance between the mechanisms of regeneration and degeneration of said cartilage. As a consequence of a heterogeneous group of factors, there is an alteration of the chondrocyte metabolism that leads to a thinning of the cartilage, associated with regenerative bone changes, which, together, will determine the clinical manifestations of the disease.
It is characterized by annoying symptoms in the Joints and that, until now, it was believed to be the heritage of the elderly, but today it is known that this pathology can appear around 40 years of age and can be strongly linked to the life that the elderly lead. athletes.
Not only age and biological deterioration can give rise to this condition, but some incorrect practices during exercise can cause osteoarthritis in athletes.
Among the new causes that are known today, it is known that bad postures, incorrect practices of the sport, the overuse or the excessive overload to which certain joints are subjected can generate osteoarthritis, a chronic disease that requires treatment to be able to live with it in the best possible way.
As to excessive weight It must be clarified that it will accelerate the wear process if there is a bad congruence of the articular surfaces, hence many people who are not overweight can develop osteoarthritis. If a joint is well oriented, and therefore has good joint congruence, the excessive weight will not affect it more than the aging process of the person himself. 
Symptom
The pain that characterizes the disease, as well as the limitation of movements and deformities that can be disabling, are what make it necessary to seek palliative treatment that calms the pain and improves the quality of life of those affected.
If we take as an example kneeThese they hurt just by starting to walk and the more you walk, the more they bother. They hurt from the first steps, in the anterior or internal part of the knee and especially when going up and down stairs. "In major injuries, if the osteoarthritis is very advanced, the discomfort is noticeable even at rest." Sometimes, the injured runner may notice clicking sounds when walking, or even suffer from limping if it is severe osteoarthritis.
Over time, the cartilage wears out so much that the ends of the bones touch and react with uncontrolled growth to the sides. The increased synovial fluid causes effusions, which manifest as swelling of the knee. The deterioration process is later favored by the presence of calcium microcrystals originating from the cartilage itself or from the bone.
Just as there are bad habits when exercising that can initiate this disease, there are certain sports in which this pathology is most visualized, such as football, rugby, tennis, boleyball, jumping or others, because in them particular joints are overloaded, being more frequent the knee or hip osteoarthritis due to the greater weight they must bear.
Also, those physically inactive people who from one moment to another decide to exercise and start excessively, can cause injuries to their joints.
Transmission
At present, various methods are used for its treatment, including drugs anti-inflammatory, cartilage protectors (glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, diacerin), physio and kinesiotherapy, surgical methods and even some more innovative ones such as ozone therapy that has an analgesic effect.
Exercise with diseased joints is essential. The exercise should try to maintain joint movement and strengthen the muscles to prevent the joint from becoming flaccid and reduce stiffness.
Exercise should be gentle and pain-free, since if it is done without bearing weight or forcing the joint it is very useful, but if it is done for too long, loading or forcing the joint is harmful and instead of improving the osteoarthritis it produces more pain and accelerates its evolution. Swimming and exercises on the ground are recommended, as they are not shocking.
Prevention

The most important thing for a runner is to prevent and become aware that the ideal is to be able to continue training without pain and free of injuries.
Therefore you have to start exercise in a controlled manner and progressively progressing, not overloading the joints with excessive weight, high intensity or overuse, and above all, knowing the body and learning to respect it so that, together with it, we can obtain better results.
The healthiest sport is one that combines several specialties. The combination of sports is the best choice to achieve optimal health without overloading our body with pathologies such as osteoarthritis, tendinosis, etc.
- Osteoarthritis is the quintessential pathology of overtraining. The best way to avoid this is to do all the sport that we want (or rather, that we can) but in the most varied way possible.
- For example, long distance running It usually gives problems of osteoarthritis in the knee when it is practiced in an exaggerated way. A preventive option is to alternate this practice with the Cycling.
- In the previous example we will be combining two exercises that especially work the lower body, only in different postures and with the qualitative difference that in running there are microtrauma in each stride and in cycling a continuous and circular movement is performed.

- Another combination for the upper body would be the series with dumbbells and swimming
- In general, the variety of sports will represent a richness of joint movements which will be preventive in terms of osteoarthritis, since in it, a repeated movement with wear of the structures is characteristic.
Intensive sport favors its appearance among young people
Many of us go through hard workouts every day to improve our physical form and maintain the one we have already achieved. East excessive training it can have consequences on our body.
Many times we have talked about how important it is to correctly execute each of the exercises that we carry out in the gym, and it is that the impact they will have on our body depends largely on it. I'm not just talking about muscle development when I talk about impact, but also bones are affected by sports work.
Good training is essential to maintain healthy and strong bones, but misuse of sport can achieve the opposite. An example of this are the numerous cases of premature osteoarthritis that are diagnosed daily in people who habitually practice sports inappropriately. In addition to thelimentation that in most cases is not recommended for this type of person.
Osteoarthritis is a progressive degeneration of the bones, specifically usually caused by a cartilage breakage and loss that joins two bones, allowing them to rub against each other and wear out. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that usually appears in advanced ages, although there are many people who suffer it at an early age due to their bad life habits in which the repercussions that these can have for the body are left aside.
More and more young people suffer from this disease that results in great pain in the affected area. The parts that suffer the most are usually the joints such as the knee, hands, wrists, feet ... Despite not knowing for sure the causes are considered as possible the excess of sport and the badlimentation, because people who suffer from it are usually athletes.
It is important that we take into account some points to avoid this type of disease. Exercise is necessary to maintain health, but we must always do it with a head. We do not have to forget about the bones and joints, so it is essential that let's execute each exercise correctly without forcing the posture of the body and creating unnecessary tension in certain areas.
Excessive exercise is not recommended, because in addition to wearing down the muscles, the joints are also affected. It is important to rest and relieve tension of the areas worked through stretching and massages that will reactivate the circulation and enrich the parts that have intervened in the training.
The alimentation is fundamental, and for this we have to ingestliments that protect our joints and bones. The mineral contribution is paramount, especially the football It will serve to strengthen the bones. We will find it mainly in dairy products. In addition we have to protect the joints through the aliment. For this we will provide them with collagen, which is one of its fundamental components. We can find it in gelatins of animal origin or in meats such as chicken, lamb, pork, rabbit ...