The most common cause of knee pain is damaged cartilage. Knee cartilage forms a thick, slick barrier to wear and tear inside the knee joint. When cartilage is healthy, your knees move effortlessly, without stiffness or painful friction. If the knee cartilage is worn or damaged, every step you take can cause significant discomfort.
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain among both women and men. While it tends to be more common as we age, arthritis can affect younger people too — especially athletes and other people who use their joints a lot. Millions of people suffer from shoulder arthritis, with symptoms ranging from a few mild aches to discomfort so severe, it affects their everyday lives. The good news is, even though shoulder arthritis is painful, there are ways to treat it.
When most of us think of sports injuries, knee or shoulder injuries are probably the first things that come to mind. And while injuries in both these areas certainly aren’t rare, they aren’t the most common. That distinction belongs to the hamstrings, the three large muscles located in the back of your thigh.
Every year in the U.S., more than 210 million people — kids and adults — take part in some sort of sport or organized physical activity. And every year, millions of those athletes are injured while playing their sport. In fact, the CDC says about 9 million sports-related injuries are reported each year among athletes of all ages.
Your joints play an important role in your everyday life, helping you stand, sit, walk and do lots of other common (and not-so-common) tasks. When your joints are healthy, they bend and move without a second thought. But when they’re damaged, even the slightest movement can be painful. Lots of factors contribute to healthy joint function, but one of the biggest influences is your articular cartilage.
