Returning the Springiness to Arthritic Joints

clipped from www.technologyreview.com Joints allow us to run, jump, and throw a ball, cushioning our bones from wear and tear with a protective bubble of lubricating fluid. But joints can falter with disease and old age, leaving millions searching for ways to keep them healthy. Now researchers at Brown University have discovered that a protein found in this fluid acts as a shock absorber, allowing it to absorb energy during activity, thus reducing friction on the surface of cartilage. Arthritis is a joint disorder that affects nearly 40 million people in the United States. It's often the result of an activity-related injury that damages some part of the joint, and it's characterized by inflammation, which is painful and makes the joints stiff and swollen. Multiple fluorescent microspheres (left half of image) were placed in synovial fluid and tracked with a charge-coupled device camera.