Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammation that basically targets your Musculoskeletal system. The disorder is most commonly seen with stiffness and joint Pain (Knee Joint pain) along with swelling. the symptoms can go in different stages like mild, moderate, or severe and it may even get worse in due course of time. 

Arthritis can also go severe at times and may result in several complications, including chronic pain and the inability of a person to perform routine activities. It can result in permanent joint damage as well. These changes can be visible as they may and even affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes. As the major symptoms of the disorder are pain accompanied by inflammation, the priority is to make the inflammation subside to enable the patient to undergo his routine activities.

Good Food and Routines for Arthritis

Pay attention to your joints whether you're sitting, standing, or doing something active.

• Maintain joint mobility. Gentle stretches that move your joints through their full range of motion should be done on a daily basis.
• Maintain proper posture. A physical therapist can show you how to properly sit, stand, and move.
• Understand your limitations. Maintain a healthy lifestyle of activity and rest, Don’t overdo.
• Keep your joints moving. Do on daily basis, gentle stretches that will move your joints in a full range of motion.
• Know your limits. Balance in lifestyle and rest is needed, and not overdid.

Lifestyle changes are important for easing pain.

• Manage weight. Being overweight can enhance complications of arthritis and contribute to arthritis pain.  Permanent lifestyle changes can result in gradual weight loss and are often the most effective method of weight management.
• Quit smoking. It causes stress on connective tissues, which can enhance arthritis pain.

Do's for Arthritis 

Choose activities that strengthen the muscles around your joints while not causing damage to the joints themselves. A physical or occupational therapist can assist you in developing an exercise program that is appropriate for you.

Gradual strength training & Stretching should be given importance. Include low-impact aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling, or water exercises, to boost your mood and aid in weight control.

Don'ts for Arthritis

Avoid activities with a high impact and repetitive motion, such as:

• Running
• Jumping
• Tennis
• High-intensity aerobics
• Repeating  the same movement, such as a tennis serve

Types of Arthritis? 

There are more than 100 types of Arthritis.
5 common forms of Arthritis are as follows:

1. Osteoarthritis
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis
3. Psoriatic Arthritis
4. Gout
5. Lupus

What is osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis treatment?

• Exactly what is it? This condition affects more people than any other type of arthritis. When your joints are overworked, they experience "wear and tear." It typically occurs with age, but it can also be ended up causing joint injuries or obesity, which puts extra stress on the joints.
• Most commonly affects weight-bearing joints, including your knees, hips, feet, and spine. It usually occurs slowly over months/years. It leads to pain in the affected joint. Even so, you do not feel ill or feel tired as some other types of arthritis do.
• What happens: Your body's shock absorber fails. Cartilage, the slippery material that covers the ends of bones, deteriorates over time. Consider what can happen to your knees if you are overweight. The extra weight puts an added burden on the cartilage as it is squeezed between the bones. It deteriorates and wears away, leaving less to cushion the joint.
• Movement is painful due to damaged cartilage. When the roughened cartilage on the surface of the bones rubs together, you may hear a grating sound. You may develop painful spurs or bumps on the endpoints of your bones, especially on your fingers and feet. The joint lining could become inflamed, but this is uncommon in osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis Arthritis

Osteoarthritis Symptoms depend on which joint or joints are affected. You may have:

• Deep, aching pain, troubles daily lifestyle for example  dressing, combing your hair, gripping things, bending over, squatting, or climbing stairs, depending on which joints are involved • Normally morning stiffness lasts less than 30 minutes • Pain when walking

Your joint may be:

• Swollen and difficult to move • Unable to move through a full range of motion

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms?

What exactly is it? RA is a type of autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system attacks specific parts of the body, particularly the joints. This causes inflammation, which, if not treated, can cause severe joint damage. One in every five people with rheumatoid arthritis develops skin lumps known as rheumatoid nodules. These generally appear over pressured joint areas, such as the knuckles, elbows, or heels.

What happens: Doctors are unsure what causes RA. Some experts believe that after an infection with a bacteria or virus, the immune system becomes "confused" and begins to attack your joints. This battle has the potential to spread to other parts of the body.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1, two inflammatory chemicals found in the body, are thought to activate other parts of the immune system in rheumatoid arthritis. TNF, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6 inhibitors can lessen symptoms and prevent joint damage.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms may appear gradually or suddenly. They are frequently more severe than osteoarthritis. The most common include:

• Pain, stiffness, and swelling in your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles, feet, jaw, and neck are the most common. Rheumatoid arthritis typically affects several joints.
• Multiple swollen joints Small joints in your wrists, hands, or feet are most commonly affected.
• A symmetrical design. When the knuckles on your left hand become inflamed, the knuckles on your right hand are likely to become inflamed as well. In a given period of time, you may notice more of your joints feel warm, become painful, or swollen.
• Morning stiffness that can last for hours, if not the entire day. You may also feel tired, have a decreased appetite, and have lost weight.

Psoriatic Arthritis

What exactly is it? Psoriasis and inflammatory disease are symptoms of this condition (arthritis).

Psoriasis causes patchy, raised, red, and white areas of inflamed skin with scales. It usually affects the tips of the elbows and knees, the scalp, the navel, and the skin around the genital areas or anus.

Only about 10% to 30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis.

What happens: This type of arthritis usually appears between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can appear as early as childhood. It affects both men and women equally. The skin disease (psoriasis) usually appears first.

Symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis can cause swelling of the fingers and toes. People who have it frequently have pitted or discoloured fingernails.

Some people are only affected by one or a few joints. You could, for example, have it on only one knee. It can affect the spine or just the fingers and toes.

Gout

So, what exactly is it? Excess of uric acid crystals in joints. Occurs most of the time, in your big toe or another part of your foot.

What happens is this: After a night of drinking, you often wake up with a sudden, sharp pain in your big toe. However, drugs, stress, or another illness can also precipitate a gout attack.

Even if you don't treat it, the attack will last between 3 and 10 days. It may be months or years before you have another one, but attacks may become more frequent over time. They might also last longer. Gout, if left untreated, can harm your joints and kidneys.

Gout results from one of three things:

• Your kidneys are unable to process the uric acid produced by your body.
• You consume too many uric acid-raising foods.
• Gout Symptoms: They almost always come on quickly. You’ll notice:
• Severe joint pain: Most likely in your big toe, but it could also be in your ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, or fingers.
• Discomfort: Even after the sharp pain subsides, your joint will continue to ache.
• Redness and inflammation: The joint will be red, swollen, and tender.
• Difficult to move: Your joint will be stiff. 

What is Lupus and Symptoms of Lupus?

What exactly is it? Lupus is an autoimmune disease (also known as SLE or systemic lupus erythematosus). It can have an impact on your joints as well as many organs in your body.

What occurs: Doctors aren't sure what causes lupus, but something causes your immune system to malfunction. Instead of attacking viruses and other invaders, it begins to cause inflammation and pain throughout your body, from joints to organs to the brain.

Women of childbearing age are more likely than men to develop lupus. It is more common in African-American women than in white women. It typically appears between the ages of 15 and 44.

Symptoms of Lupus:

Painful, swollen joints, Fatigue, Headaches, Swelling in the feet, legs, hands, or around the eyes, Rashes, including a "butterfly" rash across the cheeks, Mouth sores, Sun sensitivity, Hair loss, Blue or white fingers or toes when exposed to cold (Raynaud's phenomenon), Blood disorders such as anemia and low levels of white blood cells or platelets, Chest pain caused by inflammation of the heart or lungs' lining.