It might even sound rough, like crinkling cellophane, when it's moved. No one really knows why cartilage breaks down. Heavy use of a joint is sometimes a contributing factor. Also, a joint injured in the past tends to develop osteoarthritis sooner than a normal joint, perhaps because misalignment causes cartilage wear. Osteoarthritis usually develops slowly, over many years.
Some people never have more than a mild ache.
Others develop crippling pain, and a few even end up trading in a creaky old hip or knee for a shiny new titanium-alloy model. Many doctors who treat osteoarthritis consider it pretty much an unavoidable part of growing older. In fact, more than half of people ages 65 and older can expect to have at least a touch of osteoarthritis. Those same doctors think there's not a whole lot that can be done for this disease, except to nurse aching joints with mild painkillers such as acetaminophen or aspirin, heat and a careful balance of exercise and rest. The relatively few doctors who treat osteoarthritis with nutritional therapy take a different stance, however.