The joints in our body are not like the joints of robots. They may not be oiled when they feel stiff, yet the joints in your body are mechanical pans, and when they don't move easily and smoothly, they don't work effectively and comfortably. . What is the cause of pain? What causes stiffness? What can you do about it?
First of all, we have to dispel this myth that there is only one disease called arthritis. The truth is that the term arthritis is as useful and specific as the term infection; And just as there are over a hundred different types of infections, there are over a hundred different types of arthritis.
Because arthritis takes many forms, some of which have devastating effects on your future health, it is important to get a careful diagnosis immediately when symptoms appear. Early detection and prompt treatment can help reduce pain and prevent later complications. Arthritis affects individuals in different ways. Treatments that work for one person with one type of arthritis may not always work for another person with another type of arthritis. Self-diagnosis and self-treatment based on the experiences of others can have potentially harmful effects, as it may cause the self-medicated person to postpone seeking more appropriate, personalized treatment.
If you have symptoms of arthritis, you can help yourself by getting medical help and diagnosis right away. If a loved one thinks he or she has arthritis, encourage the person to get a professional diagnosis and begin treatment.
Learning more about the different types of arthritis will help you understand the disease and how you can help yourself by following the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor.
Osteoarthritis: a disease of wear and tear
Osteoarthritis affects more people than any other type. Doctors may refer to this as degenerative joint disease. Patients usually know this disease best as arthritis of old age.
Why does osteoarthritis occur?
In a normal joint a smooth, elastic material called cartilage covers the ends of your bones where they meet. Cartilage enables the bones to slide over each other easily and gives joints their flexibility. When the cartilage wears down, it becomes painful to move the joint. Spurs or bulges may develop on the ends of the bones, and the ligaments and membranes surrounding the bones may thicken. As a result the shape and structure of the joint may change. In response to pain, the muscles near the joint may tense and contract. As the muscles weaken, the use of the joint may become more limited. While each case of osteoarthritis is different, your understanding should start with the anatomy of the bones and joints.
Although osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, the joints most commonly affected are the weight-bearing joints: the knees, hips, and lumbar spine. It often affects the joints of the fingers, base of the thumb, and big toe.
Doctors classify cases of osteoarthritis as primary and secondary. The primary form begins spontaneously with no specific cause, while the secondary form can have a variety of causes, but is often caused by excessive stress and pressure on the joint. Primary osteoarthritis occurs more often in women and may have a hereditary component as it appears more in some families than others. Sometimes it starts much earlier in life, even in the late thirties and early forties. Osteoarthritis seems to be quite common and it affects small joints like fingers and toes.
What are the causes of osteoarthritis?
Arthritis researchers do not have a clear explanation for the causes of osteoarthritis. They believe that many factors influence the development of the disease. The normal aging process is one. Hidden birth defects may be another. Heredity may also be a factor, especially in the development of primary osteoarthritis. Research efforts are ongoing to learn more about the causes of arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, as it affects so many people.
Are occupations and lifestyle related to osteoarthritis?
Researchers say that when joints are repeatedly stressed in the same way, osteoarthritis is more likely to develop. For example, a dock worker who bends and lifts all day is more likely to develop osteoarthritis in his knees than an accountant who sits at a desk. A football player is more likely to develop osteoarthritis in the knees than a chess player.
What does osteoarthritis feel like?
If you have osteoarthritis, your response may be a sad sigh. Osteoarthritis can hurt. Its main symptom is pain in and around the joints. The type of pain varies from person to person. This may be persistent pain, a feeling of pain, or severe pain when moving the joint. "The pain occurs because the wear and tear of the smooth cartilage between the bones puts pressure on nerve endings. Tense muscles can also contribute to your discomfort. Sometimes the pain can spread to other muscles that connect to your painful joint. Doesn't seem related.
Another symptom is the lack of ability to move the painful joints comfortably. This problem increases when the muscles around the joint become weak.
You may be like many people with osteoarthritis, in that others can't tell you have it. The only symptoms that may be noticeable are your inability to move some of your joints easily. However, in some severe cases, lumps appear in the joints because there have been changes in the bones and disintegration of the cartilage covering them.How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?
Sometimes osteoarthritis is detected on X-rays taken for other purposes. In this case, people may not feel any aches or pains, but they may be told by their doctor that they have osteoarthritis. Often if a person complains of joint pain, the doctor will order an X-ray because damage to the joint can be seen that way. However, X-rays are only part of the process your doctor will follow to diagnose osteoarthritis. The history of your symptoms and the findings of a complete physical examination will also be valuable factors in diagnosis. Your explanation of how you feel will be very important. For example, individuals with osteoarthritis usually do not feel sick, they do not lose much weight, and they do not have loss of appetite or fever. Furthermore, pain in the involved joint in patients with osteoarthritis usually peaks with activity (walking, etc.) and subsides with rest.
How is osteoarthritis treated?
There is no cure for osteoarthritis. The goal of treatment is to control the disease and possibly slow its progression by keeping the affected joints mobile, preventing further disability, and relieving pain. Medicines, special exercises, rest, heat are effective in some cases.
If you have osteoarthritis, depending on your symptoms, your doctor may suggest avoiding physical activities that put pressure on your painful joints. You may be advised to avoid occupational and recreational use of the affected joints. If weight-bearing joints are involved, you may be asked to avoid weight-bearing activities such as climbing stairs or standing for long periods of time.
In other cases, orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation therapy are helpful.
Sometimes medications are injected directly into the joint affected by osteoarthritis. Some people get temporary relief from pain and disability this way.
If you are overweight, your doctor will probably recommend a weight loss diet. Losing weight will help reduce pressure on your joints, especially if your osteoarthritis is in the hips or knees.
In some cases, physicians recommend traction as a treatment for spinal osteoarthritis, which involves stretching the upper part of the spine in the neck area. In other cases physicians recommend using a neck collar or a heavy towel wrapped around the neck to support the weight of the head, thereby relaxing the painful muscles. These techniques provide relief but do not affect disease progression.
What is viewpoint?
Prompt, appropriate treatment usually provides considerable relief of symptoms and improved function. If disease control is maintained through the many techniques now available to your doctor, there is no need to permanently limit activity.
Researchers are continuing efforts to find additional means to control and ultimately cure the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis: inflammatory disease
Rheumatoid arthritis usually starts slowly but sometimes comes on suddenly. Symptoms may appear, go away, and come back again. While it is a systemic disease of inflammation, the most noticeable symptom is vague or intense pain in the joints of the hands and feet. Inflammation also affects connective tissues throughout the body, which can cause a feeling of illness throughout the body.
Rheumatoid arthritis begins with inflammation of the synovial membrane, a thin tissue that lines the capsule surrounding the joint. Inflammation of the synovial membrane may spread to other parts of the joint. Inflamed tissue can grow into the cartilage surrounding the ends of the bone, causing it to deteriorate. When cartilage disintegrates, scar tissue forms between the ends of the bone. Sometimes scar tissue builds up in the bones, binding the joint, making it stiff and difficult to move.
What does rheumatoid arthritis feel like?
Symptoms vary from person to person, but pain and stiffness usually occur in the morning and subside during the day. If you have this disease, getting up in the morning can be the hardest part of the day for you. While a few minutes of stiffness in the morning may be normal, people with inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis often remain stiff for an hour or two.
Usually more than one joint is affected by rheumatoid arthritis. As the joints stiffen, swelling and tenderness become more pronounced. Full movement becomes painful and difficult. When rheumatoid arthritis affects the hands, the fingers can become deformed and it becomes difficult to perform everyday tasks. The pain may become more severe with strenuous activity.
Because rheumatoid arthritis often affects connective tissues throughout the body, fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia may occur. The spleen and lymph nodes may become enlarged.
Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the chances of dangerous and crippling effects.
What are the causes of rheumatoid arthritis?
Although rheumatoid arthritis can begin at any age, it most commonly affects people between the ages of 20 and 40. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known. Some researchers say that it is caused by infection. Heredity is definitely a factor. There is some consensus among researchers that the body's immune system is involved in some way in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers believe there is a foreign substance that may contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis, but they have not yet isolated it. The inflammation induced by this foreign substance is thought to be responsible for the joint pain, swelling, and destruction that are commonly seen in patients with this disease.How is rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed?
If this disease is suspected, your doctor will find several laboratory tests helpful in addition to a complete physical examination, health history, and X-rays. A test called erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) will indicate the presence of any inflammation in your body. You only need to take a small blood sample; The depth to which the red blood cells sink in a tube over an hour is then recorded. Another test done with your blood sample helps determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an abnormal antibody present in most people with rheumatoid arthritis. Under normal circumstances the presence of abnormal antibodies is nil. While rheumatoid factor may be present in people without rheumatoid arthritis, if symptoms of arthritis are present, additional information about rheumatoid factor will be a useful diagnostic tool for your doctor.
How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?
Most physicians take a conservative approach to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis because they believe such management leads to the best long-term results. The goals of therapy are to reduce swelling and pain, maintain function, and prevent deformity.
Therapy programs for people with rheumatoid arthritis are individually designed, depending on the extent of the disease and the organs involved. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, your treatment may include a mix of exercise and rest; application of heat, cold, or both; anti-inflammatory and relieving medications; Possibly surgical repair, and in some cases the use of special braces or other supports.
Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is usually developed by a team of health care professionals who work together to create the best possible program of care for you. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, and social workers will collaborate with your doctor to plan and carry out your treatment program. Family members may be involved because love and emotional support can help with chores, which may be necessary to maintain the family's normal routine.What is Outlook?
While the course of rheumatoid arthritis is unpredictable, excellent therapies are now available to reduce inflammation and DNG-induced remission of disease activity. Sometimes permanent remission or disappearance of symptoms occurs. nus, even if rheumatoid arthritis does not go into natural remission, medications are available to induce remission.
