When I was eighteen years old and in the habit of running three miles every morning, I started to develop a dull, aching pain in my right knee that progressed to the point where I couldn’t drive or sit with it bent for long periods of time, let alone jog. Through physical therapy and acupuncture, I’ve replaced pain with strength, but I’ll never be able to replace the cartilage I wore away by running improperly. Now, slightly older and much wiser, I realize that we get only one set of joints and therefore need to take good care of them
The Hip Bone’s Connected To …
Our joints are the points of contact between our bones that allow for movement and mechanical support. Many different types of joints exist throughout the body, but there are three main classes:
- Simple joints involve two articulation surfaces (bones). They include shoulders and hips.
- Compound joints involve three or more articulation surfaces, as in the radiocarpal joint (wrist).
- Complex joints involve two or more articulation surfaces and an articular disc or meniscus. The knee is a complex joint.
Joints vary from having little or no mobility to having a full range of motion. Synarthrosis joints, or fixed joints, permit little or no mobility; most are joined by fibrous connective tissue (FCT) that is very strong but less flexible than other types of tissue. (Our skulls are actually considered synarthrosis joints.) Ampiarthrosis joints, like vertebrae, offer slightly more mobility, since they are connected with more flexible cartilage. And diarthrosis joints provide the greatest range of motion because they are synovial joints, not directly joined by any tissue. Our shoulders, hips, elbows, and knees are all diarthrosis and synovial joints that we can move in almost any direction.
Out of Joint
Most people start having problems when the connective tissues around joints begin to erode, which happens naturally with age. According to the Mayo Clinic, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. Also called degenerative joint disease or osteoarthrosis, it refers to the wear and tear on joint cartilage that happens naturally over time. People with OA usually feel it in their hands, hips, knees, neck, and lower back.
