Arthritis Joint Pain
Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints. There are two common types of arthritis, and they are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The two main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness. The most common signs and symptoms of arthritis revolve around the joints. Your joint symptoms may include stiffness, pain, redness, swelling, and a decreased range of motion. Some types of arthritis may even be accompanied by a number of other symptoms involving various parts of your body, such as fever, rash, fatigue, weight loss, dry eyes and mouth, breathing problems, and night sweats.
Arthritis pain is caused by damage to your joints. Joints are made of several parts. First, there is cartilage, a hard, yet slick coating on the ends of your bones. Cartilage is the material that allows the bones of the joint to slide smoothly over one another. Secondly, we have the joint capsule. This is a tough membrane which holds all the joint parts. Finally there is the Synovium. This is a thin membrane that lines the joint capsule and secretes synovial fluid, which is responsible for lubricating the joint. There are two different forms of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a result of wear and tear damage to your cartilage, which results in bone grinding against bone. This causes pain as well as restricted movement. The wear and tear of osteoarthritis can either occur over time or can be accelerated due to a joint injury or an infection. Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the joints and inflames the synovium, which then causes swelling, redness, and also pain. This condition can cause the cartilage and bones within the joint to be destroyed. I will discuss these two forms of arthritis in more detail coming up.
There are a number of risk factors for arthritis. First, some types of arthritis run in families, so if your parents or siblings have the disorder, you may be more likely to develop it as well. Age also puts you at increased risk, as many forms of arthritis develop as you get older. If you are a female, you are at greater risk for rheumatoid arthritis. If you have had a previous injury to a joint, you are at increased risk for developing arthritis in that joint. Also, obesity will increase your chances of developing arthritis, as the extra pounds will put more stress on your joints, particularly the joints in your spine, hips, and knees.
If you have severe arthritis, it can make even daily routines difficult and painful. Typing on a computer, opening a jar, or writing with a pencil can be painful for people with severe arthritis in their hands. If you have arthritis in weight bearing joints, you may find it difficult to sit up straight or walk comfortably. Sometimes joints can even become twisted and deformed.
Depending on the type and severity of your arthritis, your doctor may prescribe medications to help you improve your joint function and reduce your pain. Analgesics are one option. They help to reduce pain, but do not affect your inflammation. Some examples of analgesics include acetaminophen, tramadol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Secondly, your doctor may prescribe counterirritants. Some creams and ointments will contain menthol or capsaicin, which can be rubbed on your joints. These medications can interfere with the transmission of the pain signals from the joint. Another option are NSAIDS, or Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These will reduce both the pain and the inflammation of the joint. Some of these over the counter medications include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. Some NSAIDS are available only by prescription. Some can be prescribed as creams or gels, and others can cause stomach irritation. There also may be some increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with the medication. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. They sometimes slow or stop your immune system. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system. They can be taken orally or be injected into the joint that hurts. Doctors may also refer you to physical therapy, which may be helpful for some forms of arthritis, since exercises have the ability to improve your range of motion and strengthen your muscles that surround your joints. In some situations, splints or braces may be used.
Sometimes doctors will also suggest surgery. One type of surgery is the synovectomy. Rheumatoid arthritis causes the joint capsule’s lignin to swell, and this happens in the fingers, wrists, and hands. Slow joint deterioration may be the result of removing the synovium. Joint replacement is when your damaged joints are replaced with artificial ones. The most commonly replaced joints are hips and knees. Joint fusion is a procedure which is often used for smaller joints, such as the ones in the ankle, fingers, or wrist. In this procedure, the ends of the two bones in the joint are removed, and then the two ends are locked together until they are healed into one unit.
It is sometimes difficult to get surgery or to feel that you have become dependent on a medication. There are also some lifestyle and home remedies you may want to try in addition to the other procedures or medication or in isolation. First of all, if you are overweight, you may want to consider losing weight so that you reduce the stress you are putting on your weight-bearing joints. Losing the extra pounds will increase your mobility and limit any future joint injury. Regular exercise will also help you keep your joints flexible. Swimming or water aerobics are good choices because the buoyancy of the water does not negatively impact your joints as other exercises out of the pool may. Using heating pads or ice packs on your painful joints may also help you to reduce the pain you feel from your arthritis. Additionally, there are some assistive devices that may help you protect your joints and improve your ability to be successful with your regular routines and tasks. Some of these assistive devices may include walkers, canes, and raised toilet seats.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the joints in your hips, hands, knees, and spine, but it can affect any joint in your body. Osteoarthritis usually worsens over time, and unfortunately, there is no cure. Treatments for osteoarthritis can relieve pain and help you stay active.
There are a number of symptoms of osteoarthritis that you may experience. One is pain in the joint either during use, after use, or after a period without moving the joint. There may also be tenderness in the joint when you apply very light pressure. Stiffness will likely be present in the joint, especially when you wake up in the morning or haven’t moved it much in some time. You may feel a grating or scraping sensation when you use the joint. There may be very little flexibility in the joint, and swelling may appear. You may also have bone spurs, which usually show up as hard lumps around the affected joint. Typically the joint pain will be centered in certain joints, such as the hands, knees, spine, and hips.
Osteoarthritis occurs when you have cartilage that usually cushions the ends of the bones in your joints deteriorating. Instead of having a smooth surface to the cartilage, it becomes rough, and this roughness causes irritation. If the cartilage wears down all the way, you may have bone that rubs on bone, which then leads to the ends of your bones becoming damaged and your joints becoming pai
nful. We are unsure of the cause of osteoarthritis in most situations, but researchers believe that it may be a combination of factors, such as the aging process, heredity, joint injury or stress, muscle weakness, and being overweight.
There are several factors that put you at increased risk for developing osteoarthritis. One of the risk factors is older age. Osteoarthritis usually occurs to older adults who are over 40. Women are also at greater risk than men. If you have bone deformities, such as defective cartilage or malformed joints, you may be at increased risk. Joint injuries, such as the injuries that happen when you are playing sports or injuries from an accident can increase your risk. Obesity has a negative impact also, as it causes you to put more stress on your weight-bearing joints, like your knees. Other diseases, such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis, Paget’s disease of bone and septic arthritis can all increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis.
Be sure to seek medical advice if you are experiencing stiffness or swelling in your joints that persists for more than two weeks. Your doctor may advise you about some home remedies, prescribe medications, or refer you for physical therapy if needed.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is one form of arthritis that involves the attack of the lining of your joints. This can result in swelling, aching, throbbing, and deformity. The pain of rheumatoid arthritis can lead to the simplest activities feeling nearly impossible due to the pain. Although there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, you can learn to manage it through proper treatment.
There are a number of signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms may include joint swelling, joint pain, red and puffy hands, joints that are painful to the touch, bumps of tissue under the skin on your arms, morning stiffness of about thirty minutes, fatigue, weight loss, and fever. Rheumatoid arthritis typically will cause problems in a few joints as the same time. In the early stages, it tends to affect your smaller joints first, such as the joints in your hands, ankles, feet, and wrists. As the disease becomes worse, your shoulders, knees, hips, jaw, neck, and elbows can also be affected. Many people with rheumatoid arthritis experience flares in their symptoms. Periods of relative remission may alternate with periods of pain, swelling, weakness, and difficulty sleeping.
The cause of rheumatoid arthritis relates to the white blood cells moving from your bloodstream into the membranes that surround your joints. The blood cells cause the synovium to become inflamed. This inflammation causes the proteins to be released, and the synovium to thicken. These proteins also cause damage to the bone, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons near your joint. As time goes on, the joint will begin to lose its shape and alignment and may become destroyed altogether. Doctors are unsure of what the cause is of this process leading to rheumatoid arthritis. It may occur after a combination of factors which include your genes, your environment, and your lifestyle choices.
There are several risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis. First, women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than are men. Age also has an impact, as it is most common in people between the ages of 40 and 60. If you have a member of your family who has rheumatoid arthritis, you have an increased risk of the disease. Smoking also increases your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint damage that can keep you from going about your daily activities. Over time, you may find that you are not able to participate in activities that you once were able to participate in. Some of the newer treatments may stop the joint damage or prevent it so that you can continue to participate in the activities that you have enjoyed over the years and keep you feeling independent.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment of this condition is meant to reduce inflammation in your joints so that you can relieve pain and prevent or slow your joint damage. Treatments that are early and aggressive may lead to a decreased risk of disability. Usually treatment consists of medications, but in cases of severe joint damage, surgery may be necessary. Some of the medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, disease modifying antiheumatic drugs, immunosuppressants, TNF-alpha inhibitors, anakinra, abatacept, and rituximab. Possible surgery options may include total joint replacement, tendon repair, or removal of the joint lining. Home remedies for rheumatoid arthritis may include regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, protecting your joints, using assistive devices, applying heat, applying cold, and reducing stress in your life.
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