athritis
Athritis is characterized by the inflammation of many of the joints in the body. There are more than 100 different athritis types. The two most common forms of athritis types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid athritis. Both of these athritis types have different causes, risk factors and complications. But both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid athritis are characterized by joint pain which can be very mild to severe.
Diagnosing Athritis Types
A persistent pain and/or persistent stiffness in any joint for longer than a few weeks could mean you have athritis. One-third of all adults in the United States are suffering from joint pain. Diagnostic tests that can determine if you have athritis are X-rays, blood tests, joint fluid analysis and arthroscopy.
X-rays can be used to show what the joint looks like, whether the space is narrowing or if there are bone spurs that are indicators of athritis. Blood tests will detect if the condition is rheumatoid athritis and not osteoarthritis or some of the other athritis types. Joint fluid analysis can be taken by the insertion of a long needle to take out fluid in the athritic joint. Your doctor will generally rule out gout and infection before giving you the diagnosis of athritis. In arthroscopy, your doctor places a tiny camera into the joint to see if there are any abnormalities. This description is a guide only and you should consider consulting a doctor if symptoms persist.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, where the cartilage that supports the bone starts to break down. As the cartilage wears out, the bones rub together and cause pain, loss of mobility, and stiffness. In some cases a sports or other injury of a joint can cause athritis years later. The first thing you might notice when you have osteoarthritis is that joints lose flexibility and you get injured easier. Your bones start thickening and bony growths, called spurs, start to grow. You may feel bits of bone rumbling around in your joints or in extreme cases a grinding feeling.
Rheumatoid Athritis
Rheumatoid athritis is an autoimmune disease. This type of athritis is due to an inflammation of the joint lining or the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint. People with the disease create antibodies that attack their own joints. Women are two-thirds more likely to get rheumatoid athritis than men. Research is being undertaken to find out why female hormones affect the joints. These athritis types tends to be genetic. Rheumatoid athritis can become severe. Seeking immediate care is important to minimize further damage to the joints.
Treatment
In all athritis types, the treatment will mostly likely include controlling inflammation and pain by using anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen. Some athritis sufferers will be given steroid drugs like Prednisone, to slow down damage to the joints. Another option available is arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage, fix tears and smooth out bone surfaces. Joint replacement surgery of the knees, shoulders or hips is also common.
Exercise to Manage Pain
For all athritis types, managing your pain can be enhanced by exercise. Movement reduces the pain, improves your range of motion and strengthens your muscles. Focus on gentle stretching and strengthening exercise programs. Walking and low-impact aerobics, yoga and body sculpting are excellent forms of exercise for persons with any of the athritis types.
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P.S. The correct spelling is arthritis. We are endeavouring to ensure that useful information reaches all interested parties even if the words are mistyped which would prevent access to information that they are looking for.
