Back to Fact and Fiction about Osteoarthritis

Myth. The idea that getting older means living with joint pain is probably one of the most persistent arthritis myths out there.
Yet arthritis isn't a natural part of aging, and older people aren't the only ones who get arthritis. As a matter of fact, more than half of the 46 million people living with arthritis in the United States are under 65, says Patience H. White, MD, MA, vice president of public health for the Arthritis Foundation. Even children get arthritis.
It is true that your chance of getting osteoarthritis -- the most common form of arthritis, affecting 27 million Americans -- increases with age.
One reason is simply that older joints have had more wear and tear. Although there's nothing we can do about growing older, there is a lot we can do about the other OA risk factors.

View full topics