Osteoarthritis occurs when your range of motion is limited as a result of wear-and-tear damage to the structures in your knee and hip joints. For most people, this is due to damage to the smooth cartilage surfaces of the joint. Over time, the cartilage wears through and the joint's bones begin to rub against each other. This causes damage to the bone's surface, bone spurs, reduced range of motion, and discomfort.
Your body uses many indicators and signals to determine when and how much you should eat. These include blood sugar levels, activity level, time since your last meal, and hormone signaling. One of these hormones — ghrelin aka the hunger hormone — is released when your stomach and digestive system become empty and inactive and is stopped when your stomach is full of food.
Editor's note: This story was written and originally published in 2016 by Jon Mann, who, at the time, was the Social Media, Video, & Copy Editor at Athletigen.
I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes as an athletic 11 year old. In the middle of a rep hockey, school soccer, and football season, I spent a week in the hospital. I was way too young to grasp the immensity of the situation, but in a weird, backwards-happy note - I have no memory of a non-diabetic life. Happier, meaning, that ignorance really is bliss.
An individual’s DNA plays a role in everything from their eye color to how their body processes vitamins. Over the past couple of years, some genetic markers have been identified and linked to susceptibilities to various injury. As athletes put their bodies on the line each time they step onto the track, court or field, access to this genetic information is an asset for both athletes and coaches during training and competition.