Kristin Armstrong - Olympic cyclist and osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is often called the "wear and tear" arthritis. As the baby boomers age and maintain active lifestyles, osteoarthritis in on the rise. This is leading to increased numbers of joint replacements, particularly knees and hips. Doctors are also seeing younger patients needing these replacements.

What is osteoarthritis? It's the wearing down of the cartilage (material that buffers the joints) to the point that sometimes bone ends up rubbing against bone. It affects the spine, hips and knees the most often, but can affect other joints as well.

The damage and pain of osteoarthritis also hits elite athletes. Some have to give up their sport and others are able to move into another that causes less damage and pain. One of these athletes is U.S. Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong. You can read a bit about Kristin's story and her tips on living with osteoarthritis at Help My Hurt: Company’s calling - Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong talks about her osteoarthritis.

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