occurrence of degenerative joint disease in the radius: analysis

wrist joints as well as the knees. The men would hunt, fish,
trade and often engage in warfare with other peoples (Trigger,
1976). Based on the sex-specific cultural responsibilities of
men and women, one hypothesis might be to expect DJD to occur in
different frequencies on particular joints, as well as uneven
wear on the right and left side of the body for the different
sexes. If the men were hunting with bow and arrow, then DJD
would more than likely manifest itself on the dominant side of
the body being used. Therefore, repetitive extension of the
forearm could lead to degeneration at the elbow joint or at the
articulation point of the radial head and the capitulum. This
is in contrast to female activities such as corn grinding or
planting, where you would expect to notice a somewhat more even
distribution of degenerative changes. Once sex is determined in
the skeletal remains of the Poole-Rose population, it will be
interesting to note if a theory of sex-related activities are
acting on the expression of DJD in the radius and forearm.
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