Fight arthritis with tai chi
When 45-year-old Karen visited her doctor about her aching hip, the last thing she expected was to be diagnosed with arthritis. Didn’t that only affect old people? She was surprised to learn that at least half of arthritis sufferers are working age and it can even affect children.
Arthritis
Arthritis is Australia’s foremost cause of pain and disability, according to Arthritis Australia. In 2011–2012, say statistics from The Australian Health Survey, about 3.3 million people had been diagnosed with the disease — or 14.8 per cent of the population. Prevalence is higher in women than men, at 17.7 per cent and 11.8 per cent respectively.
Access Economics predicts that, if current trends continue, there will be 7 million Australians suffering some form of the disease by 2050.
While arthritis is commonly seen as a normal part of ageing, it is not a natural consequence of growing older. It is a disease state affecting the musculoskeletal system, particularly the joints.
However, the likelihood of developing arthritis does increase with age. In the under-25 age group, incidence is less than 1 per cent, increasing to 52.1 per cent in those 75 years plus. Women aged 45 and up are considerably more likely to have arthritis than men. In particular, at ages 75 and over, 59.9 per
