Types of Arthritis & Ways of Dealing With Them

Types of Arthritis & Ways of Dealing With Them
October 17 07:18 2018 Print This Article

 

Arthritis, which is an umbrella term for a wide range of joint inflammations, has over 100 different forms. Joint diseases that affect flexibility and restrict movements cause of a lot of pain and discomfort that weaken a person’s enthusiasm and leaves them frustrated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The impact of arthritis on individuals is significant. About 43.5% (23.7 million) of the 54.4 million adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis have limitations in their usual activities due to their arthritis.1 Learn more about arthritis-attributable limitations.”

It further says that over 78.4 million Americans, aged 18 and above, will receive arthritis diagnosis from doctors by the year 2040. And this is a massive number.

People who do not perform any physical activity remain at the higher risk of suffering from some form of arthritis than those who live an active life.

Once a person has some form of arthritis, it can become a big obstacle for them when it comes to performing physical activities because it affects joints, which eventually restricts movements. And reduced physical activity is closely linked to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, etc.

Often associated with old age, arthritis is utterly common among people above 60. However, that doesn’t mean that children and adults are immune to arthritis. Yes, anyone irrespective of their age can experience joint inflammation; therefore, it’s better to take care of your joints. And the worst part is that there is no permanent cure for arthritis. The treatments that healthcare professionals offer only focus on addressing the signs and symptoms of arthritis.

Common Forms of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, which affects over 27 million Americans, is the most common forms of arthritis. Also known as the degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis is a condition that leads to the degeneration of cartilage and eventually the underlying bone. Cartilage is a flexible tissue found in joints, and it protects the end of the bones by acting as a cushion.

However, people with osteoarthritis have weak or damaged cartilage which fails to control the friction between the end of the bones in a joint, and that leads to huge pain and discomfort.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A chronic joint disease, rheumatoid arthritis is also known as an autoimmune disorder that shows symptoms like pain, swelling, and tenderness in joints.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, “The immune system normally protects a person from viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. In people with autoimmune diseases like RA, it becomes overactive and attacks healthy tissue. In the case of RA, the immune system primarily goes after the lining of the joints, called the synovium. Over time, the persistent inflammation breaks down the joint and damages it permanently.”

Rheumatoid arthritis can also have severe consequences for heart and blood vessels, eyes, lungs, nerve tissue, salivary glands, and kidney.

Besides, people with rheumatoid arthritis also struggle with skin complications. It’s a condition that strikes when the immune system attacks the synovium surrounding the joints. The synovium starts becoming thick gradually due to the joint inflammation, which slowly starts degenerating the cartilage as well as the bone.

And because of that tendons and ligaments also start declining, which eventually affects the joint alignment.

Fibromyalgia

Also known as central pain syndrome, fibromyalgia is a common condition linked to arthritis. People with this problem experience pain all over their body along with symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, and memory problems. People whose body produces an excessive amount of uric acid remain at the risk of developing crystals in their joints, which leads to huge pain and discomfort.

Sometimes people with this condition feel the enormous pain even with a gentle touch.

According to Advantage Therapy, “over 12 million Americans have fibromyalgia, and women are 10-times more vulnerable to this condition than men.“

Psoriatic Arthritis

Also known as an autoimmune disease, Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in joints. People with psoriasis remain at a higher risk of developing psoriatic. Psoriasis is nothing but an autoimmune disease, and people with this develop red, itchy and dry patches on their skin.

Common among adults above 30, but it affects people of all ages including both men and women. It means even a child can develop psoriatic arthritis.

Gout

Characterized by the formation of uric acid crystals in a joint, gout is another common form of arthritis. People with this condition mostly experience pain in their toe or elsewhere in their foot after they wake up from sleep in the morning.

Apart from the above conditions, lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, behçet’s disease, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, etc., are also arthritis-related conditions that cause painful joints.

Here’s How To Manage Arthritis Pain

You can’t treat arthritis fully; all the treatments that are available only aim at addressing its signs and symptoms, and help in managing pain. Although you can go for medicines and surgeries in the worst case scenario; however, if you consult a physical therapist as soon as you begin to experience the signs and symptoms of any of the above forms of arthritis, then you can prevent surgery.

Physical therapy is a great way to improve your joint health. They will design a chronic pain relief program. Your therapist will use manual therapy techniques and specialized exercise programs to address the signs and symptoms of arthritis. They will ask you to perform joint-specific exercises that help in relieving arthritis pain and improve flexibility.

Besides, they may also incorporate mindfulness meditation into your care plan to make you feel better about your life.

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Rozy Andrew
Rozy Andrew

Rozy is a writer, student and pet lover. She loves chicken, and seeing her little pug, naughty pummy. When she is not writing, you can find her at the Starbucks.

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