Osteoarthritis - Knee Pain and Smoking

Studies show that men with osteoarthritis (knee osteoarthritis in special) experience and complain of extra severe pain if they are smoking. The study has been made by the Clinic Mayo located in Minnesota. A group of 200 patients were asked about their osteoarthritis knee pain and the answers were given on a scale from 0 to 100. Smokers complained of pains situated around the number of 60, and non smokers said they were experiencing osteoarthritis knee pains situate at about 45, a pain level appreciated as bearable.

As cause for this harsh pain, doctors assume that the carbon monoxide quantity brought by smoking to our blood causes the tissues to become less oxygenated and the cartilages to renew harder that usual. Another explanation would be that smoking simply lowers our pain step; therefore smokers suffering from osteoarthritis knee pains subjectively feel a more intense ache.

Smoking is harmful to health as it is, but the thing that it can cause bone damage and excruciating pain in articulations is a fairly new concept. The pain felt when developing osteoarthritis of the knee is caused either by earlier injuries or old age and tissue degeneration. Knee osteoarthritis is more common in men than in women because men are believed to lead a more active physical life. In addition, the tendency of wearing high heals causes women to be liable of developing hip osteoarthritis.

The osteoarthritis knee aches are resented especially if the suffering patients stop having an active life. Smoking can help a person in becoming more sedentary, because it minimizes the oxygen quantity the blood cells receive and causes him or her to get tired more often and much easier. If one tries to combine a smoking habit with a healthy fitness program, he will start acknowledging that he can not keep up with all the other class attendants because he has a lower tolerance and he needs to constantly stop and take deep breaths. This phase can be passed over in time, but the recommended solution is to stop smoking.

Men that smoke and have been recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis will have to immediately stop smoking because if they don’t they risk reducing considerably the efficiency of all and any treatment they might try. It’s true that osteoarthritis is not a curable disease, but treatments can significantly ameliorate its symptoms. Also, men that do not have yet knee pains but smoke must be aware of the increased risk of osteoarthritis knee pains that are subjecting themselves to.