“inflammation is now understood to be a key mediator of OA that contributes to cartilage loss and progressive degeneration of affected joints… OA is no longer considered a noninflammatory arthritis or a ‘wear and tear’ disease”
I heretofore thought age-related cartilage loss was the cause of osteoarthritis and inflammation. Turns out it’s the other way around: the inflammation degrades cartilage. Okay, no more slogging through joint pains for me, regardless of how small.
Edit: added a phrase for clarity
Fair. In my case I wish someone had not overlooked the systemic inflammation (from a different condition that has been recently correlated with OA, somewhat unexpectedly) and the malmechanics I was experiencing, so that I might have avoided some of the further issues, but, so it goes.
I manage to shift some of the chronic pain, but sadly society really likes to build worlds that have only one blessed way of doing certain things, which makes it impossible to shift more consistently. So I will have to mostly content myself with smugly sore.
Given you appear to be a doctor though, I do have one favor to ask. If you ever get a flexible kid with crepitus come through your doors, maybe add a CRP test to their blood work, just on the off-chance and even if only for the chain of evidence.