According to The New England Journal of Medicine , American workers lose more time to arthritic pain than to any other affliction. Chances of developing arthritis increase the more sedentary you become.
Friction is caused by the roughening of the cartilage.
The cartilage deteriorates as the once-smooth surfaces are no longer able to slide easily against each other. Tendons, ligaments and muscles keeping the joints in place weaken, and the joint becomes stiff, deformed and painful. Osteoarthritis makes bones brittle, thus increasing the risk for fractures. Osteoarthritis most typically occurs after 40, and can be found in the majority of people over 60. Symptoms can be mild to severe and develop in three times as many women than men.