Joint Efforts
(HealthScoutNews, 5/17/03)

According to Dr. John Kippel, Medical Director of the Arthritis Foundation, age 50 seems to mark a transition point where people typically begin feeling the symptoms of osteoarthritis, a wearing away of cartilage that causes joint pain, stiffness and inflammation. While heredity may play a role, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and sports injuries contribute to the condition. Arthritis sufferers typically use various anti-inflammatories to control their symptoms, but these do not repair the damage and tend to have side effects. Now the Arthritis Foundation is conducting studies to determine the efficacy of new treatments, including injections of hyaluronic acid directly into the joints and the popular alternative remedy of oral supplementation with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.