What is cartilage? Put simply, cartilage is strong, malleable material that protects major joints of the human body. Cartilage prevents bone-on-bone rubbing and other mechanical problems within the body. Unfortunately, the body’s cartilage wears down over time. This degradation occurs from a variety of causes including overuse and certain diseases such as Osteoarthritis — that result in pain, stiffness, and a reduction of flexibility. The regrowth of cartilage is near impossible other than certain treatments such as stem cell implementation. Find out more about this form of treatment from the healthcare professionals at http://thrivemdclinic.com. Here are some common areas of the human body that are affected by cartilage loss.

Hands

Even though the twenty-nine bones in your hand are smaller than most bones in your body, they can still be affected by a loss of cartilage. The joints in the fingers of your hand can lose cartilage over time from repetitive activities that eventually result in bone-on-bone rubbing. Osteoarthritis in the hands causes pain, stiffness, and even hand-shape deformity.

Spine

Cartilage loss in the spine causes pain and stiffness in the lower back and neck of afflicted patients. The spine is stuffed with a large portion of the body’s nervous system. Unlike the simple joints of the body, cartilage loss in the spine has no exact cause: it’s noted that patients with previous spinal injuries are more prone to develop spinal Osteoarthritis. Common alleviation of back pain associated with cartilage loss includes pain-relieving medicine and lying on one’s back. It’s possible to implement lifestyle changes to prevent lower back pain.

Knees

A very common part of the body to experience a loss of cartilage, the knee wears down over time like no other. Walking activates the cartilage in our knees every step: cartilage loss is inevitable over time. Other activities such as running and intense exercise affect the rate of loss. Feet posture (having arched or flat feet) can also play a role in how your cartilage rubs around your knee. Specific stretching exercises, inflammatory and steroid injects are possible ways to alleviate the pain that comes with a loss of knee cartilage.

Hips

The cartilage in your hips can deteriorate for a few reasons. Common wear-and-tear from movement over time is a possible reason; however, certain inflammatory arthritis can attack the lining around your hip joints, this includes Rheumatoid arthritis. Surgical cartilage repair, inflammatory medicines, steroid injections, and special exercises can be implemented to reduce cartilage loss symptoms.