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Why Does Osteoarthritis Occur?

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Osteoarthritis is one of the most common ailments plaguing humanity. Since these pathological lesions are universal, osteoarthritis can be used to hypothesize behavioral changes in early populations (Bridges, 1992:67; Larsen, 1997:164-166; Waldron, 1995:385; 1992:235). There are multiple reasons for osteoarthritis to occur, and these can include repetitive use of a joint from exercise, activity, work, or even forced labor brought on during colonization.
This degenerative disease is found in articulating joints. These are the joints that allow for movement in the body. Chronic breakdown of cartilage is the main cause of osteoarthritis and typically occurs from mechanical stressors, injury, and age. The effects of this breakdown, then …show more content…
One reason that these changes may have occurred is the repetitive movements of the agriculturalist. In some agrarian society behaviors would have involved land clearing, planting, harvesting, and processing crops, as well as the domestication of animals (Bridges, 1991; Cope et al., 2005). However, not all research supports this hypothesis. Many agricultural groups in the Americas showed a decline in osteoarthritis when compared to hunter/gatherers from the same locations (Eshed et al., …show more content…
The skeletal remains used by Schrader as a way to compare activity patterns during Egypt’s colonial expansion into Nubia. Many Egyptian researchers vary on how Egyptian colonial policies may have impacted Nubian inhabitants. Some of these scholars believe that Egyptians forced the local populace to meet tributes which included slaves, goods, gold, and grain (Schrader, 2012:61). Other researchers deem that the Egyptian expansion created positive interactions between the two groups which included minimal tributes and the ability of Nubians to hold on to cultural values (Schrader,

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