Arthritis and the Baby Boomers

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by year 2030 it is expected that 67 million people will be diagnosed with a disease that affects the joints with the largest segment of that being arthritis.

Arthritis is the definition given to any disease that involves inflammation of the joints with the most common subcategory being osteoarthritis, which is less associated with inflammation and leans more so to joint degeneration.

The claim for the climbing increase in numbers of people inflicted with joint disorders such as arthritis is a two-fold claim: 1. The baby boomers are getting old, and 2. They are obese. The baby boomer generation (1946 to 1964) right now age bracket is 44 to 63 years of age. I am a baby boomer and I take offense to the reference of baby boomers being obese. Of course I know people in my age bracket that are heavy however I know just as many who are not, but the claim for the rising number of joint disorders is obesity. I am 45 years old, I finally said it aloud, well in print anyhow, and I weighed 115 pounds tops soaking wet at my heaviest point ever in my entire life. I am currently at about 107 and guess what, I have arthritis. I am not obese; however, I have friends who are heavier then me that do not have arthritis that are also baby boomers. Go figure.

Several factors other then obesity raise your risks factors for becoming inflicted with a joint disorder such as arthritis. One such risk is too much stress on a joint or joints. This is where I developed my joint issues. Jobs that entail a lot of repetitive movements, frequent squatting, or crouching such as working in factories and farming. I was a farm girl and I did work in several different factory environments for quiet sometime before getting into the social work field and now the freelance writing/marketing field. Meat packing plants can play havoc on your joints. Freelance writing hasn't done me many favors as far as my wrist and elbows go either, well except the pay.

Another factor that heightens your risks level of winding up with a joint disorder such as arthritis is an injury to a joint. Playing contact sports can put you at a high-level risk so if you played sports back in your college day fellow baby boomers you may be feeling the results still today. The last of the risks is obesity. The extra weight being packed around puts stress on the joints and pays extra special havoc to the knees. So put down that bon bon (who really eats those things anyhow), get up, and start exercising before it is too late and a joint disorder creeps into your mobility.