Osteoarthritis: Prevention

To prevent osteoarthritis, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.

Behavioral risk factors

Consumption of stimulants
- Alcohol – ≥ 20 glasses of beer/week lead to a significant increase in coxarthrosis (hip osteoarthritis) and gonarthrosis (knee osteoarthritis); individuals who drank 4 to 6 glasses of wine per week had a lower risk of gonarthrosis
- 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 (e.g., soccer players).
  - Long-lasting heavy physical stress, e.g., at work (construction workers, especially floor layers).
Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity) – leads to overuse of the joints.

* Sports are only healthy as long as joints are not damaged in the process or have no pre-existing conditions.

Prevention factors (protective factors)