A human body has number of joints that allow it to bend and twist. These bends and twists allow a human body to perform different functions like walking, writing, jumping, dancing, etc. A joint is nothing but a point where two or more bones meet. A human body has four types of joints. These are sutures, hinge, ball & socket and gliding joints. Each of these joints provides different kinds of flexibility and movement to the body. For example, hinge joints allow movement only in one direction as in the elbow and knee, whereas ball and socket joint allow movement in a complete circle as in the shoulder.

Whatever be the kind of joint, the basic anatomy of the joint is similar i.e. it has a ligament and cartilage. Ligament is like a muscle that joins two bones, whereas cartilage is a smooth & elastic tissue that gives a cushion to the joint and prevents bones from rubbing against each other.

The joints pain starts to show up when cartilage starts loosing its cushioning properties. This can happen because of various reasons. The most common reason is aging. With age, the cartilage becomes thinner, and thus, becomes more prone to damage and less effective in cushioning. The other reason could be some damage to the cartilage. A small injury in childhood can show up as a big damage to the cartilage in the old age. The cartilage could also get damaged due to the weight the joint has to carry. For example, an obese person is more likely to have a knee joint pain compared to a thin person. This is because the ligaments wear out faster in case of an obese person.

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