October 29, 2007

What Is Hyaluronic Acid And How Does It Work For Arthritis?

Hyaluronic acid (HA) 0 also known as hyaluronan- is found in all tissues and body fluids. What this article will describe is what HA does in the joints, particularly the knee.
HA is a major component of synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is the naturally-occurring lubricant found in joints.
HA has a variety of functions within the joint including lubricating effects, water balance, and stress distribution through what are termed 0viscoelastic properties.0 What this means is that at low levels of impact (standing and walking), HA has mostly lubricating properties. At high levels of impact (running and jumping), HA functions to cushion the joint.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is often used as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), particularly in the knee. HA therapy supplements HA in the knee, restoring the synovial fluid’s ability to cushion, lubricate, and protect the knee joint.
A number of different mechanisms of action are thought to be responsible for the beneficial effects of HA. These include fluid replacement, inducement of the body0s own HA production by the knee joint, increase in cartilage synthesis, reduction in cartilage degradation, inhibition of inflammation, protection of the cells that make cartilage, and decrease in pain through inhibition of pain stimulus on nerve fibers within the […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

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