Arthritis – An Insight
The conditions which are categorized under rheumatic may include aching, pain and stiffness and sometimes swelling around the joints of your body. You can never be sure about the problem because the symptom may start appearing gradually or in some cases suddenly. There also have been cases where certain other organs of the body have been affected because of the rheumatic condition.
Talking about its affect, there are also various types of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus which are known to affect a wide range of organs.
As per the research, it has been noted that it is very much common to people who have crossed the age of 65 but that does not mean, people of other ages can roam carefree as it can happen to possibly anyone including children.
Causes of Arthritis
As per the latest research, there does not exist a single reason for the different types of arthritis. In any of the case, the degree of the severity varies mostly due to the reason that there are multiple causes of the injury.
However, some of the most common reasons for arthritis are as under:
- An injury of a kind that has led to degenerative arthritis.
- Having an abnormal metabolism which in most cases lead to simply gout.
- A very common factor of inheritance.
- Another reason could be infection like Lyme disease arthritis.
- The dysfunction of immune system.
In most of the cases, there are many combinations which are into play to lead to the problem of arthritis. But there are also enough cases to suggest that it might pop up suddenly without any proper reason. This is one of that problem in the medical science which certainly does not have any predictable emergence.
If you come from a family that has a history of encountering this problem, then it is highly likely that you may be suffering because of your genetic makeup. Adding to this, any kind of involvement in any demanding activity or an occurrence of an injury or infection can also have a say in person’s genes and can play an instrumental part in increasing the chances of arthritis.
Symptoms
Since there are multiple types of Arthritis, likewise there are many symptoms associated with the problem. Some of the early symptoms are as follows:
- Fatigue
It is amongst the earliest of symptoms and certainly precedes any other by weeks or months. So, lately, if you have been feeling fatigue for no real reason, it might be the time to consult the doctor.
- Morning Stiffness
It is one of the most important and one of the earliest signs of arthritis. If you are feeling any early morning stiffness and it lasts for at least a good few minutes, then it is a degenerative form of arthritis.
- Joint Stiffness
One of the early signs or RA is the stiffness in the smaller joints of the body. It does not have any time and as such can occur at any time of the day.
- Joint Pain
In most cases, it has been seen that joint stiffness is often followed by joint pain which may occur either during movement or while at rest.
- Minor Joint Swelling
The sufferer may undergo with mild joint swelling that will cause your affected areas to appear a bit bigger than usual.
Treatment
The treatment of arthritis will focus majorly to control pain, and along with that, it will also focus on minimizing joint damage and improving the functionality of life. As per the American College of Rheumatology, the Arthritis treatment has to include the following things:
- Losing weight
- Splints aid or the aid for joint assistive
- Medications
- Therapies
- Surgery for joint replacement
Prevention Tips
The simple fact is, there is not a way developed through which you will be able to prevent arthritis. However, that does not mean you should not be doing anything because if you choose to do so, you may able to delay the disease and as a result lot of pain. If you, for now, have healthy joints, what you can do now is make sure that you can maintain its function and mobility. Some of the other ways which you can use are:
- Include fish in your diet
- Make sure your weight is in control
- Exercise
- Avoid injury by using safety equipment
- Make use of right techniques to help prolong your joint’s life
Credits – Health Tips Blog