What is Arthritis ?
Arthritis is the swelling and inflammation of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness and swelling. Other than Muscle strain, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions can have the same symptoms as Arthritis.
Types of Arthritis
There are common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis causes cartilage is going to be hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint to break down.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints. Here, the body’s immune system misfires and starts to attack your joints (autoimmune disease). It can begin at any point in life, but generally starts between ages 30 and 50, and affects women two to three times more often than men.
Other, common types of arthritis include gout which forms when there’s too much uric acid in your blood. Infectious (septic) arthritis, juvenile arthritis, ankylosing
spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, such as psoriasis or lupus, can cause other types of arthritis.
Symptoms
The most common signs and symptoms of arthritis involve the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis you have, Specific signs and symptoms might include:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Redness
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Weight loss
Causes
Osteoarthritis
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear and tear damage to your joint’s cartilage hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. Cartilage cushions the ends of the bones and allows nearly frictionless joint motion, but enough damage can result in bone grinding directly on bone, which causes pain and restricted movement.
Other causes can be being overweight (puts more strain on weight-bearing joints, especially knees) and Injury or trauma to the joint surface.
Rheumatoid arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks your joints (autoimmune disease), a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts. This lining (synovial membrane) becomes inflamed and swollen. The disease process can eventually destroy cartilage and bone within the joint.
Risk factors for arthritis include:
- Genetically- Some types of arthritis run through genes, so you may be more likely to develop arthritis if your parents or siblings have the disorder. Genes like HLA (human leukocyte antigen) class II genotypes
- Age- The risk of many types of arthritis — including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout increases with age.
- Sex- Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis, while most of the people who have gout, another type of arthritis, are men.
- Joint injury- People who have injured a joint, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
- Obesity- Carrying excess pounds puts stress on joints, particularly your knees, hips, and spine. People with obesity have a higher risk of developing arthritis.
Complications
Severe arthritis, particularly if it affects your hands or arms, can make it difficult for you to do daily tasks. Arthritis of weight-bearing joints can keep you from walking comfortably or sitting up straight. In some cases, joints may become twisted and deformed.
Diagnosis
During the physical exam, your doctor will check your joints for swelling, redness, and warmth. They will also want to see how well you can move your joints.
Depending on the type of arthritis suspected, your doctor may suggest some of the following tests.
Laboratory tests
The analysis of different types of body fluids can help pinpoint the type of arthritis you may have. Fluids commonly analyzed include blood, urine, and joint fluid. To obtain a sample of your joint fluid, your doctor will cleanse and numb the area before inserting a needle in your joint space to withdraw some fluid.
Imaging
These types of tests can detect problems within your joint that may be causing your symptoms. Examples include:
- X-rays- Using low levels of radiation to visualize bone, X-rays can show cartilage loss, bone damage, and bone spurs. X-rays may not reveal early arthritic damage, but they are often used to track the progression of the disease.
- Computerized tomography (CT)- CT scanners take X-rays from many different angles and combine the information to create cross-sectional views of internal structures. CTs can visualize both bone and the surrounding soft tissues.• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Combining radio waves with a strong magnetic field, MRI can produce more detailed cross-sectional images of soft tissues such as cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
- Ultrasound– This technology uses high-frequency sound waves to image soft tissues, cartilage, and fluid-containing structures near the joints (bursae). Ultrasound is also used to guide needle placement for joint aspirations and injections.
Treatment
Arthritis treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and improving joint function. You may need to try several different treatments or combinations of treatments before determining what works best for you.
Changes in diet, lifestyle, and exercise habits may play a part. After that, it’s important to build a plan to manage your condition that you and your doctor agree on. This might involve several prescription or over-the-counter medicines along with heat, ice, physical therapy, injections, and joint supporting devices like braces.
Medications
The medications used to treat arthritis vary depending on the type of arthritis. Commonly used arthritis medications include:
- Painkillers- These medications help reduce pain but do not affect inflammation. An over-the-counter option includes acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)- NSAIDs reduce both pain and inflammation. Over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen (Aleve). Some types of NSAIDs are available only by prescription.
Oral NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation and may increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. Some NSAIDs are also available as creams or gels, which can be rubbed on joints. - Counterirritants- Some varieties of creams and ointments contain menthol or capsaicin, the ingredient that makes hot peppers spicy. Rubbing these preparations on the skin over your aching joint may interfere with the transmission of pain signals from the joint itself.
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)- Often used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, DMARDs slow or stop your immune system from attacking your joints. Examples include methotrexate (Trexall, Rasuvo, others) and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil).
- Biologic response modifiers- Typically used in conjunction with DMARDs, biologic response modifiers are genetically engineered drugs that target various protein molecules that are involved in the immune response.
There are many types of biological response modifiers. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are commonly prescribed. Examples include etanercept (Enbrel, Erelzi, Eticovo) and infliximab (Remicade, Inflectra, others).
Other medications target other substances that play a role in inflammation, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), Janus kinase enzymes, and certain types of white blood cells known as B cells and T cells. - Corticosteroids- This class of drugs, which includes prednisone (Prednisone Intensol, Rayos) and cortisone (Cortef), reduces inflammation and suppresses the immune system. Corticosteroids can be taken orally or can be injected directly into the painful joint.
Therapy
Physical therapy can be helpful for some types of arthritis. Exercises can improve the range of motion and strengthen the muscles surrounding joints. In some cases, splints or braces may be warranted.
Home remedies for arthritis
- Manage your Weight – If you’re obese, losing weight will reduce the stress on your weight-bearing joints. This may increase your mobility and limit future joint injury.
- Exercise– Regular exercise can help keep your joints flexible. Walking, Cycling, Water activities, swimming, and water aerobics may be good choices because the buoyancy of the water reduces stress on weight-bearing joints.
- Heat and Cold Therapy – Heat treatments can include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help ease stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort overnight.
Cold treatments can help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.
- Acupuncture- This therapy uses fine needles inserted at specific points on the skin to reduce many types of pain, including that caused by some types of arthritis.
- Massage- Light stroking and kneading of muscles may increase blood flow and warm affected joints, temporarily relieving pain. Make sure your massage therapist knows which joints are affected by arthritis.
- Healthy Diet- A diet that’s rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can help boost your immune system and your overall health. There’s some evidence that dietary choices can affect people with both RA and OA.
A plant-based diet provides antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation by eliminating free radicals from the body. - Add turmeric in Food- Turmeric, the yellow spice common in Indian dishes, contains a chemical called curcumin. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.