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Arthritis Basics
By George Harper
Maybe pain occurs, like when trying to open a jar. What's it all about? Let's
look at the basics and learn more.
Arthritis actually means "joint inflammation" and has over 100 related
conditions or type / forms of disease. Left untreated, it can advance, resulting
in joint damage that cannot be undone or reversed. So early detection and
treatment are important.
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid
arthritis (RA). Although both have similar symptoms, both happen for different
reasons. When joints are overused and misused, the results can be OA. What
happens is that the cushioning cartilage that protects the joint breaks down,
resulting in the bones rubbing together.
This generally happens in the knees, but can be found in the hips, spine and
hands often, too. And only in later stages will a person most often feel pain,
after quite a bit of cartilage is lost.
The second type, RA, refers to the body's immune system attacking joint tissue.
Still not fully understood in the medical community, this condition most often
starts in a person's hands, wrists and feet. Then it advances to shoulders,
elbows and hips.
Similar symptoms include pain, stiffness, fatigue, weakness, slight fever and
inflamed tissue lumps under the skin. And both OA and RA generally develop
symmetrically, i.e. affecting the same joints on both the left and right sides
of the body.
A difference in OA and RA to note is with swelling. With RA, people report "soft
and squishy" swelling. While with OA, people report "hard and bony" swelling.
Another difference is that a person is more likely to develop RA if a sibling or
parent had it. While a person with a history of joint damage, either an injury
or chronic strain, runs a higher risk for developing OA.
There is no specific age for arthritis sufferers. While it can affect every age
group, it seems to focus on those over 45 years of age. And while neither gender
is immune, a reported 74 percent of OA cases (or just over 15 million) occur
with women and a slightly lower percentage of RA cases occur with women.
People with excess weight tend to develop OA, especially in the knees when
reaching over 45 years of age. However, losing weight can turn the odds around
almost by half. Regular activity combined with exercise also reduces risk,
strengthening joint muscles and reducing joint wear.
Although there are no cure-alls for arthritis, there are a variety of pain
relief treatment strategies. Aside from medications, remedies, replacement
alternatives and other helpful treatment options and alternatives, the four main
arthritis relief aids are gentle exercise, good nutrition, a positive attitude
and rest. And each will be discussed further in subsequent sections, because
education can play a huge role to dispel "old wives tales" and myths that
"nothing can be done about arthritis."
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