Arthritis is an inflammation in the joint and it is the major reason for disability among elderly patients. Arthritis refers to more than a hundred kinds of medical condition and the most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis and this often strikes elderly people. There is also form of arthritis that can affect individual at such an early age.
Most Common Symptoms of Arthritis
Symptoms of arthritis depend on the kind of arthritis you have. Below are the most common symptoms of the most common type of arthritis that affects most individuals today.
Osteoarthritis
Symptoms for this form of arthritis develop slowly. Pain is usually present in the joint when in activity or even after a period of inactivity. Joint is stiff especially early in the morning when you wake up. Patient may have a hard time to move since joint loses its flexibility and when they indeed use the joint they experience a grating sensation that is because of bone spurs that develop around the joint. In some instances the joint may even swell. The joints most often affected with osteoarthritis are the spine, knees, hands and hips.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Most individuals who suffer from this kind of arthritis finds the same joints in both side of the body are stiff, inflamed and swollen. The part of the body that is commonly affected is the wrists, legs, arms and fingers. Symptoms are always at worst when you wake up in the morning and stiffness could last for almost thirty minutes. Joints are tender to the touched and the hands may look puffy and red. You might find rheumatoid nodules in the patient’s arm. Weight loss is common and many individuals who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis feels tired most of the time.
At first it is the smaller fingers that are affected. Healthcare professional says that individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis have problems with several joints at the same time and as it advances it spreads to the smaller joints in your wrist, hands, elbows, jaw, shoulders, neck, hips, and knees.
Infectious Arthritis
Patient usually experience swelling and inflammation in the joint as well as fever. Patient will also feel tenderness and pain. Most of the time this symptom is associated with another illness or injury. The part of the body that is commonly affected is the finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder and knee.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
This form of arthritis often strikes children. The child often experience irregular fevers which tend to go high in the evening and then suddenly goes away. Appetite is poor and loses weight. There may be rashes in the legs and arms. Anemia is also very common with sufferers of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The affected child may experience a sore knee, finger or wrist and may limp when they walk. Joint may swell and may stay larger than normal. The child may also experience pain in hips, stiff neck or other joint.
Treatment for arthritis can vary. Doctors do recommend occupational and physical therapy for arthritis for this helps maintain range of motion and joint mobility. An occupational or physical therapist can help you work out your stiff joints without damaging it. They can teach you how to reduce the strain in your joints so that you can still go about your day to day activities.
There are several medications to manage the symptoms of pain and inflammation like the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, COX-2 inhibitors, Salicylates just to mention a few. Lots of experts say that eating a well balance diet is very important for arthritis patient. Maintaining the right weight is also very important since being overweigh will just add more pressure in your weight bearing joints.
Experts also said that a good amount of omega-3 fatty acid in the diet can help in managing symptoms of arthritis. In fact this is supported with studies that Omega-3 fatty acid really brings improvement in rheumatoid arthritis patients (Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1998). Further studies even showed that it helps lessen the required non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (Cas Lek Cesk.1998).