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Arthritis

Arthritis is a swelling or pain that you feel between your joints. More than 20% of the world’s population is affected by the arthritis problem. Moreover, the stiffness becomes worse with age and can hamper daily-life activities. 

Arthritis is not a single disease that you can only feel in your joints. It includes other pains as well. 

This blog gives detailed information on arthritis, its types, treatment options and more.

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Everything You Need To Know About Arthritis

Types of Arthritis

Usually, there are five types of arthritis that most people suffer.

  • Osteoarthritis 
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Gout
  • Lupus

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is acknowledged as the most immobilized type of arthritis.

Causes of Arthritis

There is not a particular reason behind this health problem. Different types of arthritis have different causes.

 Some possible causes are the following –

  • If your bloodline has arthritis, then you can get this problem.
  • If you are a player, bodybuilder or do something that puts pressure on your joints, then this repeated stress between your joints can cause arthritis at some point.
  • Some random diseases or side effects and viral infections can be a major issue of having arthritis problems.
  • Gout and pseudogout can happen because of irregular metabolism.
  • Dysfunction of RA and SLE is another reason for arthritis.

Symptoms

Arthritis symptoms may include:

  • Early morning stiffness that lasts long, more than an hour
  • Swelling between the joints of your body
  • Discharge, eye dryness, and itching
  • Because of pleurisy, chest pain can happen while breathing.
  • Sleeping disorder
  • Crackling sounds while moving your joint muscle.
  • Swelling, redness between your joints
  • Random high fever is another symptom people usually ignore. This fever can come and go but consult an expert if the cycle keeps repeating.
  • Your vision may be affected if you have this health problem.
  • Depression and fatigue.
Diagnosis and Treatments

Now that you already know the symptoms, you must know the treatment process. Thankfully the disease is not that severe and can be cured. If you follow the treatment correctly, you will get a lot of relief from the pain. 

Let’s dig into the diagnose process –

Firstly, when you go to the doctor, he will check the pain level, swelling, redness, and warmth. He might ask you to move your joint as the efficiency matters a lot to catch the depth of the problem.

Testing Ground

Proper examination of different body fluids can help to catch what type of arthritis you have. Usually, the doctor will ask you to test blood, urine, and joint fluid. Some of these include:

Tomography

  • X-rays
  • Computerized tomography (CT)
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Ultrasound

Once the diagnosis is done and the type of arthritis is known, your doctor will choose a treatment. It can include medications, therapy or some other.

 

Medications

Every type of arthritis has a different medication process. Some are as follows:

  • NSAIDs – Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are considered the best medication for arthritis patients. Almost everyone who has this health issue has taken this to get rid of the pain. Take these medicines only after your doctor prescribes them.
  • Acetaminophen – It is known as a common pain reliever for arthritis. Your doctor will prescribe it if it is required. Also, stay away from alcohol and drugs while taking acetaminophen. Otherwise, it can lead to liver problems.
  • Antidepressants – If you have chronic pain, your doctor will surely recommend you take this medicine. This medicine is for your subconscious mind. It makes you feel less pain. It can also be helpful for depression. However, this has some side effects as well. It will be best if you take this medicine after your doctor’s recommendation.
  • Arthritis and Steroids – From decades ago, steroids are considered the best anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis in medical science. Prednisone can reduce joint pain and inflammation. Talk to your doctor about it.
Therapy

If medicines don’t work, you might need therapy/ surgery. Surgery is an advanced treatment option for arthritis that repairs or replaces a joint to reduce pain. Some of the arthritis surgeries include:

  • Joint repair surgery
  • Joint fusion surgery
  • Joint replacement surgery

Quick fix ways at Home

To prevent arthritis and reduce pain, you can do the following:

  • Loss of weight to reduce pressure
  • Practice low-intensity workouts
  • Use heated pads and iced pots

Other than these, you can practice some yoga for your joint pain or go for an everyday walk of at least 30 min to reduce the pain.

Diet for Arthritis

If you have arthritis, you must avoid having fast food and packaged food. Avoid smoking, drinking and drugs as they are good for nothing. 

Including organic, low-calorie food in your diet will make your arthritis get better. Some of the foods that can be helpful to cure this are the following –

  • Broccoli
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Fatty fish
  • Walnuts
  • Berries
  • Spinach

Conclusion

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, visit your doctor as soon as possible. Make sure to continue the treatment as per the expert’s advice. Try doing some exercise and maintain your body weight, and stick to a proper diet. 

Your flexibility and strength can fight arthritis problems. It can’t be gone totally but, you can control it or reduce it to the lowest. To know more about arthritis, book an appointment with our experts today