Joint pain, including Osteoarthritis, is found in nearly 43 million Americans.

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, (DJD), is the most common form of arthritis and is caused by the breakdown of cartilage in one or more joints. Osteoarthritis has many signs and symptoms but the main symptoms are stiff and very painful joints. One of the most painful moments of having joint pain stiffness is in the morning after resting the joints. Moving the joints around and stretching in the morning are great ways to get rid of the stiffness. One other severe joint pain is right after or during exercising or continuous strain on the particular area.

Since most people wake up in the morning with some kind of stiffness, a person must look for further symptoms that may lead to joint pain, possible identifying which joint pain they are having.

Osteoarthritis causes the joint to grind and make creaking sounds usually limiting the full range of motion for that particular joint. People who have it more severely suffer from weaker muscles and swollen joints.

Though the direct cause of Osteoarthritis is unknown, there are many conditions that can cause joint pain. Bone disorders, inherited diseases, overworked and stresses limbs, obesity, derangement of metabolism and internal gland malfunctions are just some of the conditions people have had when diagnosed with Osteoarthritis.

One question about Osteoarthritis is why cartilage gets damaged as the joint pain increases. Cartilage itself does not cause Osteoarthritis, but the grinding and rubbing of other tissues around the affected joint is what sends the pain signals, since cartilage does not contain any nerve structures.

Weight management is one of the first things to approach when looking at joint pain. When it comes to arthritis, being overweight can increase your risk of osteoarthritis and place excessive strain on affected joints . If you look at the simple physics, the more you weigh, the more your body has to carry around. If your knees are stiff or you have increased joint pain, consider looking into a good diet to make your body work less.

Arthritis can limit your emotional experiences as well as physical. As most people go through aches and pains associated with arthritis, some feel many emotions with it as well. Some may be in denial they even have a disease, thinking they are in pain form an activity they previously have engaged in. Others may feel anger, loss of control over the disease, hopelessness, and devastation.

When we look at arthritis, we also have to look at how healthy our bones as well. Vitamin D is crucial for strong bones and growth. People with vitamin D deficiency are known to have more joint pain and difficulties with mobility. Most of our body's manufactured vitamin D comes from a response to natural sunlight. Elderly people are less efficient at absorbing the crucial vitamin, resulting in stronger and more painful causes of Arthritis and Osteoarthritis.

A vitamin D supplement is recommended to prevent and help with arthritis. Most supplements do not carry as much vitamin D as your body can, but the supplements are to replace the lost vitamins your body cannot produce.

There are many supplements and vitamins that will aide in the relief of stiff and painful joints. These supplements are designed to help manage the disease. While there are many available treatments, people have leaned to supplements instead of prescribed medications over the last few years. The goal of a good joint pain supplement is to decrease arthritis symptoms, slow the progression of the disease, prevent joint damage, maintain joint function and preserve the mobility of the joint.