Arthritis is one of the most pervasive diseases in the United States and is the leading cause of disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one out of every three Americans (an estimated 70 million people) is affected by one of the more than 100 types of arthritis.
The first sign of arthritis, often just stiffness in your hand or an ache in your knee, goes ignored. Many of us believe arthritis only affects seniors--we are too young to have arthritis. Unfortunately, according to recent research, arthritis may start much earlier that previously thought.
According to Time Magazine, if you are within sight of middle age, you most likely have osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disorder in which the cartilage in the joints begins to break down. Arthritis was once thought to only affect seniors but now doctors believe that osteoarthritis begins its course as early as the teen years.
Because osteoarthritis is degenerative, you may not know you are a victim until your 40s or 50s when the disorder starts affecting your bones. Twinges in bones and joints are the most common sign that you may have osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, by that time, the damage has been done. Even the best treatments can't do much more than manage pain and try to maintain the current condition of degenerating joints.
At present, doctors believe that osteoarthritis affects more than 20 million Americans-this number is expected to grow to 40 million by 2020. In October, researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a nationwide survey that measured the total burden of arthritis and chronic joint symptoms. Their findings are alarming: one-third of all American adults suffer from some type of joint disease.
Why is arthritis becoming an epidemic? Population is the first reason--the baby boomers are beginning their 50s which is the time when the symptoms of arthritis become noticeable. Secondly, five decades of jogging, aerobics, and sports like football, soccer and tennis can do severe damage to knees and hips. Finally, the weight of Americans is going up, causing more strain on joints.
While doctors and researchers work on finding ways to stop this degenerative disease, there are ways we can ease joint pain and get some immediate relief. For the 15% of sufferers who don't experience inflammation, over-the-counter pain relievers can control symptoms. When inflammation becomes involved, the answer becomes complicated. Some anti-inflammatories can help but may trigger dangerous, long-term side effects like internal bleeding.
Lifestyle changes can make a difference too. Losing as little as 10 lbs. can take some strain off of your joints. Certain exercises may keep joints from stiffening and losing mobility.
A lot of effort has gone into learning how to replace damaged cartilage. Many arthritis sufferers find relief in dietary supplements that include Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Preliminary evidence suggests that Glucosamine, which is derived from lobster and crab shells, may help relieve arthritis pain by encouraging cartilage growth. Chondroitin is believed to help keep cartilage from breaking down. Many arthritis sufferers find relief in supplements that have a combination of Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
Arthritis is a term that includes a group of disorders that affect your joints and muscles. Symptoms of arthritis include joint pain, inflammation and limited movement of joints. When a joint is inflamed it may be swollen, tender, warm to the touch or red. Surrounding each joint is a protective capsule holding a lubricating fluid to aid in motion. Cartilage, a slippery smooth substance, covers most joints to assure an even, fluid motion of the joint. With joint arthritis, the cartilage may be damaged, narrowed and lost by a degenerative process or by inflammation making movement painful.
There are many different signs & symptoms of arthritis. Symptoms include pain, stiffness or swelling around joint areas, sleeplessness, fatigue, depression, & muscle aches. If you have any of these symptoms that linger for a week or two, consult your physician.
Many people with arthritis will experience difficulty when getting out of bed, buttoning shirts, writing, sewing, dressing, sleeping, climbing stairs, running, walking, rising from chair, brushing teeth, combing hair, cooking, sleeping, etc. Some symptoms come fast & some slowly.
At one point or another, everyone’s body will hurt. When that pain is continuous it is time to take it seriously & go for a check up. Your doctor will perform some tests & will be able to tell you if you’re suffering from arthritis. If you are, which type.
The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis, is the most common form of arthritis afflicting people between the ages of 18 to 79. According to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately 16 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis. Three times as many women than men are osteoarthritis patients.
The degeneration of the cartilage that surrounds the bone will cause bone rubbing against bone & this is how osteoarthritis develops. The cartilage is the shock absorbers of our bones & it reduces friction as our joints move. When the cartilage is destroyed you get bone rubbing & hitting against bone. Most often it is those joints that bear our bodyweight such as the knees, hip & spine that are affected with osteoarthritis.
Early in the disease your joint may be stiff with slight pain without feeling warm or swollen. Later the pain may become constant. The cartilage will continue to wear away until bone is crunching bone (a grating sound can be heard) if early care or steps are not taken & will even result to deformity when one side of the joint collapses.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It usually first appears between the ages of 25 and 50, but it can occur in children and in senior citizens.
Most commonly the joints of the fingers, wrists, arms and legs are affected and it will involve the same joints on both sides of the body. Swelling, pain, deformity and stiffness are typically present. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis may also affect the heart, lungs, and eyes of some patients. Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause an overall feeling of sickness and fatigue as well as weight loss and fever.
Some patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience constant symptoms while others have courses of bad periods or flares and good periods called remissions. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease meaning that the body tissue is the victim of an immune response against itself.
A common but misunderstood disease, fibromyalgia. Eighty to 90 percent of all patients are women between the ages of 35 and 60. Constant fatigue, deep muscle pain, sleeplessness and depression are widespread symptoms of fibromyalgia. Tender points under the skin have become a hallmark of this disease. For all patients, these tender points are painful when pressed.
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) does not involve the joints like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rather it is a type of rheumatism of the muscles, ligaments, tendons or soft tissues. Rheumatism describes the stiffness and pain associated with arthritis. Although the symptoms of fibromyalgia may come and go over the years, the disease itself is chronic or long-term.
