To prevent polyarthrosis, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Pleasure food consumption
- Tobacco (smoking) – nicotine abuse promotes loss of articular cartilage in the knee joint (gonarthrosis)
- Physical activity
- Underloading of the cartilage:
- Lack of physical activity – since cartilage gets its micronutrients from the synovial fluid, it relies on the joint being moved for cartilage growth
- Nutritive damage (eg, long rest in a cast).
- Overloading of the cartilage:
- Competitive and high-performance sports
- Long-term heavy physical stress, for example, in the profession (construction workers, especially floor layers).
- Underloading of the cartilage:
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity) – leads to overuse of the joints.