What is Arthritis?

There are over 100 types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

By Alan Kravet
Chief Pharmacist

The word arthritis means “joint inflammation” and is one of the body’s natural reactions to injury or disease and includes pain, swelling and stiffness. Inflammation that lasts for a long time or is recurring, as in arthritis, can lead to tissue damage.

Arthritis appears normally in joints. A joint is where two or more bones come together, such as the hip or knee. The bones of a joint are covered by a smooth, spongy material called cartilage, which cushions the bones and allows the joint to move without pain. The joint is lined with a thin film of tissue called the synovium. The synovium’s lining produces a slippery fluid called synovial fluid that nourishes the joint and helps reduce friction. Ligaments connect the bones and help keep the joint stable. Muscles and tendons also support the joints and enable you to move.

With arthritis, an area in or around a joint becomes inflamed, causing pain, stiffness, and difficulty when moving. Some types of arthritis also affect other parts of the body, such as skin and internal organs.

Types of Arthritis:
Some of the more common types include:

Osteoarthritis:
Most common type. It occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bones gradually wears away. Without the protection of the cartilage, the bones begin to rub against each other and the resulting friction leads to pain and swelling. It can occur in any joint, but most often in the hands and knees, hips and spine. Osteoarthritis often occurs as the cartilage breaks down or degenerates with age. Therefore it is sometimes also called degenerative joint disease.

Rheumatoid Arthritis:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long lasting disease that can affect joints in any part of the body but mostly in the hands, knees and wrists. With rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks itself and causes the joint lining to swell. The inflammation then spreads to the surrounding tissues and can eventually damage cartilage and bone. In more severe cases it can also affect skin, nerves and eyes.

Gout:
Gout is a painful condition that occurs when the body can’t eliminate a natural substance called uric acid. The excess uric acid forms needle-like crystals in the joints that cause swelling and severe pain. Gout most often affects the big toe, knee and wrist joints.

What Are the Symptoms of Arthritis:
Different types have different symptoms and they vary in severity from person to person. Osteoarthritis does not generally cause any symptoms outside the joint. Symptoms of other kinds of arthritis may include fatique, fever, a rash and joint inflammation, including:

Pain, Swelling, Stiffness, Tenderness, Redness, Warmth

Arthritis Treatment Options:
It generally includes occupational or physical therapy, exercise, drugs and sometimes surgery to correct joint damage. Treatments can help relieve pain and stiffness, but the disease may continue to progress. Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis in recent years have been able to stop or slow progression of joint damage.

In the case of localized pain, stiffness and immobility, the typical three stage treatment consists of medication to relieve pain and inflammation, rest to let injured tissues heal themselves, and exercise to rebuild mobility and strength.
Learning to protect your joints is an important part of the treatment. Avoid positions that strain your joints, use stronger joints and muscles while sparing weaker ones, wearing braces or supports for certain joints, and using grab bars, modified door knobs, walkers, etc.
If you have trouble getting up from a couch or chair, use an uplift seat.

Your doctor may recommend pain relievers combined with heat, rest and exercise, physical therapy, and controlled applications of deep heat to soothe affected joints. Simple moist/dry heating pads may reduce your pain considerably.

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is another non-invasive , drug-free method of pain relief. It is ideal for the treatment of arthritis. Pads are placed on or near the area of pain. TENS are using soothing pulses that are sent via the pads through the skin and along the nerve fibers. The pulses suppress pain signals to the brain and encourage the body to produce higher levels of it’s own pain killing chemicals called Endorphins and Encephalins.

Though arthritis is not preventable, many people are able to prevent disability with a well-designed treatment program, exercise, physical therapy and helpful medical devices.

Links

- Arthritis & Pain Relief Supplies