Arthritis, which afflicts knees and shoulders, has been found to be a product of evolution. That's why there are concerns that the pelvis and shoulder pain may get worse in the future.
According to a study conducted by the University of Oxford, arthritis developed when humans began to walk straight up. The researchers analyzed 300 fossils and the bones of various creatures that existed on Earth for 400 million years, and studied what changes occurred in the joints over time.
Telegraph reported that primates, Neranderetin and reptile bones were used for analysis in this study. Humans are vulnerable to symptoms such as back pain and arthritis while walking upright.
The research team led by Dr. Paul Monk, a doctor in the nutfield hospital orthopedic arthritis and musculoskeletal fields, has conducted research to find out why the skeleton of humans has changed to the present form. Since the onset of the erect gait, humans have suffered from changes in the musculoskeletal system and symptoms such as shoulder pain, knee pain, pelvic inflammation, and knee prolapse, which also occurs in young people.
Dr. Monk has argued that the reason humans have experienced these symptoms can be traced back to the process of evolution. Based on these theories, the team created a three-dimensional model and observed changes that took millions of years.
Human thigh bones have evolved to be thick because of their upright posture to accommodate the increased load. However, as the thigh bones became thicker at the opposite end, arthritis became more visible. The researchers observed similar changes in the shoulder area, and the human scapula gradually narrowed over time as time went by. Dr. Monk explained that it became more difficult to perform the arm-lifting movements as the gap between the scapulae became narrower.
Those with arthritis feel pain because of inflammation that makes the joints stiff. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease, has more than 100 types of arthritis, and symptoms get worse with age.
Over 50 million adults worldwide suffer from arthritis, and arthritis is a more common disease in women.
