Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who stunned many fans over the years with his dazzling ability to pass and score, says he got a surprise himself recently: early symptoms of arthritis.
"I didn't think people my age had arthritis," Gretzky said Tuesday.
"Now I want to help others realize that arthritis pain is not restricted to the elderly, and effective treatment is available."
Gretzky, 38, has joined a campaign to educate people about osteoarthritis, a disease that afflicts about 2.7 million Canadians.
He's the new official spokesman for the Osteoarthritis Early Awareness Campaign, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare, which makes Tylenol.
The Head of The Arthritis Society in Canada, Denis Morrice, believes the former NHL star will do a lot to raise awareness.
"When he understands how serious arthritis is, the magnitude of it, the impact that it's having, when he recognizes that it's the sleeping giant of health care, he will get involved and he will make sure that something is done about research," Morrice said.
But critics wonder if drug companies, such as McNeil, are exploiting celebrities such as Gretzky in order to raise profits rather than awareness.
"The objectives of the company that's making that product is not necessarily improving public health," according to Dr. Joel Lexchin, a long-time critic of the pharmaceutical industry. "It's selling more of their product."
Osteoarthritis usually strikes people around 55. As joints wear, the cartilage degenerates, leaving bone rubbing against bone.
Gretzky stopped short of saying he actually has arthritis. He hasn't been officially diagnosed with the disorder, and has not undergone standard tests involving a scope inside his joints.
A spokeswoman for McNeil says Gretzky is taking pain relievers, and doing special exercises to slow cartilage degeneration.
Osteoarthritis is the most widespread form of arthritis, which, in turn, is one of the three most common chronic medical conditions in the country, along with allergies and circulatory problems.
Gretzky said his occasional joint pain and stiffness had nothing to do with his decision to retire last April.
