Physical Activity Important to Avoid Osteoarthritis

Women account for more than 60% of all osteoarthritis cases, and menopause plays a role.

As people age, the body starts to make different noises.

“You may hear your knee. You make funny sounds: as they call it, crepitus. That’s usually a safe thing to have, but it could be an early sign of cartilage loss,” said Jasmine Toor, M.D., FACP, a fellowship-trained, board-certified physician specializing in primary care sports medicine. Dr. Toor is the director of sports concussions at Sports Medicine at Mercy in Baltimore.

According to Dr. Toor, women in menopause and beyond need to stay on top of their physical activity to prevent osteoarthritis.

“Interestingly, around the time of menopause, we have a lot of hormonal changes in the body. So, it depends on age. As we age, we get hormonal fluctuations. Estrogen really plays a key role in joint health. I’m not sure if many people know that, but there [are] estrogen receptors that affect cartilage metabolism [and] bone health. So, around menopausal age, we see an uptake of arthritis diagnoses in women. I think 70% of women around the age of menopause, perimenopause, will complain of joint or muscle pain at some point,” Dr. Toor said.

Amy Woest, 57, experienced that pain.

“One day, I was literally just emptying the dishwasher and turned and felt a pop and a burning sensation, and my knees filled up. I couldn’t walk,” Woest said.

Woest has been active all her life. She loves to run but admits strength training hasn’t always been in her wheelhouse.

“You think just being active, whether it’s running or class cycling, spin. You think you’re strengthening, but you’re really not,” Woest said.

She has had surgeries on both knees, and she doesn’t want to go down that road again.

Dr. Toor treated her with gel injections, and so far, recovery has gone well.

“It's really important not to just accept it for what it is. There [are] plenty of things that we can do about it, but it’s important to start early before symptoms get worse,” Dr. Toor explained.

Woest noted that physical therapy helped, too; Dr. Toor reiterates that, along with the strength training, stretching can be very beneficial.

View Mercy sports medicine physician Dr. Jasmine Toor’s interview regarding women and osteoarthritis issues.