What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is when your joints get tired and worn out from being used too much over time.

Imagine you have a favorite pair of shoes that you wear every day to play, run, jump, and dance. Eventually, the soles of those shoes start to get all scuffed up, and they feel uncomfortable when you walk. That’s kind of like what happens in osteoarthritis, your joints are like those shoes, and over time, they get worn out from too much use.

Your joints are places where two bones meet, like the corner of a table. They help you move by letting your bones slide smoothly against each other. Inside your joints is something called cartilage, which acts like a soft cushion or rubbery padding, it helps bones glide over each other easily.

But when that cartilage gets worn down from too much use, the bones start to rub together more, and that can cause pain and stiffness, just like how your shoes feel uncomfortable when they get scuffed up. That’s osteoarthritis in action!