Arthritis would seem to be a simple mechanical failure of our bodies. Through wear and tear, the cartilage wears out in certain joints -- primarily the hip, knee, lower back, neck and hands -- leading to stiffness, pain and eventually almost total immobility.Â

BACKGROUND: Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. A joint is the area where two bones meet. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. Arthritis involves the breakdown of cartilage. Cartilage normally protects a joint and allows it to move smoothly. It also absorbs shock when pressure is placed on the joint. Without a normal amount of cartilage, bones rub together, causing ...

Vitamin C protects cartilage, the shock absorber between bones.

More than 10% of the 27 million Americans who suffer from arthritis have the disease due to injury, that irritates and degrades the cartilage, causing a steady deterioration of joints, most often in the knee. Research undertaken at MIT has identified a steroid drug commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases that could also prevent osteoarthritis from ever developing in those people, if given ...

About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage deterioration.