What Increases Your Risk

Things that can increase your risk for osteoarthritis are called risk factors. Some risk factors, such as your age or family history, can't be changed or prevented.

You may be able to reduce other risk factors by making lifestyle changes or taking medicine.

Risk factors you may be able to change or prevent

• Being overweight. Extra weight puts added stress on your joints and can change the normal shape of the joint.
• Joint injury. A single major injury to a joint or several minor injuries can cause cartilage damage over time. Activities that put repeated stress on a joint include squatting, kneeling, or heavy lifting common to some sports and jobs.
• Lack of exercise, which can cause your muscles and joints to get weak and stiff.

Risk factors you can't change

• Getting older. Age is not a direct cause of arthritis, but as you get older you're more likely to have symptoms. Still, not all older adults will have joint pain.
• A family history of arthritis.
• Loose or odd-shaped joints. Knees that bend outward (bowleg) or knees that bend toward each other (knock knees), for example, can cause an imbalance in the joints, because the cartilage wears down at an uneven rate.
• A previous infection of the joint.
• Other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis.
• Metabolic or endocrine problems that cause a buildup of iron (hemochromatosis), copper (Wilson's disease), or calcium (hyperparathyroidism) in the blood and tissues of the body.
• Decreased nerve function.