Arthritis is a common yet complex condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It causes joint pain, stiffness and mobility issues. It is important to understand its types, causes and symptoms to prevent long-term complications. Let’s explore arthritis comprehensively.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a common term used for any kind of joint pain and discomforts. There are 100 types of arthritis in medical science, few can be severe among them. Once, it was thought that arthritis only affects people after 50 but now medical studies claim that it can come at any age irrespective of genders.
What are the types of arthritis?
Arthritis can be of various types, more than 100s actually. Here are some common types among them:
- Osteoarthritis: This type of arthritis is very common in people between the age of 35 to 65, especially in women. It is caused by wear and tear of cartilage in the joints. As a result, joint pain and swelling become prevalent and mobility becomes problematic.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: This arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where the body’s own cells attack healthy cells thinking foreign invasions. It can cause extreme pain and swelling of joints like knee, wrist, fingers, elbow and ankle.
- Juvenile Arthritis: It is another form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects people below the age of 16. Juvenile arthritis is characterized by joint pain, difficulty in movement and joint swelling.
- Gout: Gout is a type of arthritis that is caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the joints. It also causes swelling and extreme pain in joints. As per the research, gout affects 0.12% of the population in India and almost 2% male population in the world.
- Infectious Arthritis: It is a septic arthritis that is caused by the attack of bacteria or virus in the joints and the fluids surrounding the joints. It can happen at any age and the possible reason behind such type of infectious attack could be an open area like wounds or a surgery.
- Psoriatic Arthritis: It is an autoimmune arthritis, caused by psoriasis mainly. Psoriasis is a skin disorder where it can cause rashes, itching and redness in the affected area. 45% of psoriasis turn into psoriatic arthritis and it can come during the age of 30 to 55 in both men and women.
What causes arthritis?
It is not possible to rectify the actual reasons behind the arthritis. Medical science says, there can be many factors like wear and rear, genetics, infectious attacks that can cause arthritis. For genetic arthritis, it is a fact that if the parents and other family members have ever experienced arthritis, the children are more likely to get arthritis.
Certain injuries and surgeries may serve the reason behind viral and infectious attacks to get arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of such arthritis. Besides this, food habits and bodily stress can also be the reason. Uric acid plays a major role behind a few arthritis like Gout.
Sometimes, our body goes under extreme pressure like tremendous strain like walking, unscientific exercise, and sitting for hours. These cause joint pain, stiffness and eventually arthritis.
Symptoms of Arthritis
Arthritis can be of various types, but the symptoms are quite the same for any kind of arthritis.
- Joint pain
- Stiffness and redness in the affected joints
- Hardness in movement and mobility
- Muscle weakness
- Feel fatigue
- Cracking and popping sound from joints
- Swelling along the affected area
- Pain in the joins by the end of the day or while you are resting
Treatment of Arthritis
Yes, it is a fact that there is currently no known cure for arthritis still, with the correct care and balanced lifestyle arthritis symptoms can be managed and mobility can be improved. Though proper guidance and advice from an orthopaedic specialist or rheumatologist is necessary for effective treatment.
Doctors better know about the treatments and they advise using hot and cold compresses to help in reducing the pain and redness. Doctors often prescribe medications to treat swelling and inflammation.
It is advised to engage in activities like yoga, swimming, and aerobics that improve mobility while putting little strain on joints. Yoga has lots of benefits in controlling joint pains. Ultrasonic waves may help to reduce ligament pain and strain in more severe cases. Deep heat therapy also eases tense muscles and relaxes joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis. These treatments help patients manage arthritis and maintain daily functionality.
Preventions of Arthritis
The best ways to avoid arthritis are to live a healthy lifestyle and use natural remedies. If we take care of some smaller things in our daily lives, we can keep arthritis away effectively.
- Wearing appropriate footwear can reduce joint stress and prevent wear and tear in our feet.
- A balanced diet rich in calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, organic foods like gond katira and anjeer, and other Ayurvedic remedies can all help to strengthen bones.
- Eating a vegan diet can also reduce inflammation. Regularly practice yoga, Surya Namaskar, and swimming to improve joint function and flexibility.
- Use proper utensils like copper and glass materials to prevent contamination.
- Reduce alcohol and tobacco use to promote bone health, and maintaining a healthy weight lowers joint pressure.
These all-natural techniques help delay the onset of arthritis.
Living with arthritis
Living with arthritis means lots of change in food habits, postures and lifestyle maintenance. It requires adapting to daily challenges to maintain joint health. A balanced diet, rich in anti-inflammatory foods like amla juice, aloe vera juice, chia seeds, and flaxseeds can support your overall health. Moringa is again an effective remedy that can help you in alleviating arthritis discomforts. Besides all these get help of yoga and other regular exercises to tame your joints effectively.
References:
- National Library of Medicine – Arthritis
- National Library of Medicine – Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Brief Overview of the Treatment
