Understanding Arthritis
Arthritis & Joint Clinic Insights
Hello!
I am extremely delighted to see you reading through this resource page, My name is Dr Salam, and I am an orthopedic surgeon in Coimbatore.
I practice at One Care Medical Center. I created this resource page to help you understand a bit about joint pain and arthritis.
Please take 2 minutes to read through!.
Oh, and do share it with your loved ones!
What exactly is Arthritis?
To put it in a simple way arthritis is a group of conditions that specifically affect the ‘joints’ of the body. An estimated 50 million people all around the globe suffer from this disorder. Arthritis is among the leading causes of joint pain world over
The most common symptom of arthritis is swelling, pain, stiffness of the joint combined with a decreased range of motions
Arthritis can affect any joint of the body and can also produce visible physical changes (most commonly on the fingers and toes)
Most arthritis can also progress with increase with age, while some of them can remit and relapse. What this mean is that, symptoms can appear for a period of time, disappear and can then come again.
What are the different types of arthritis?
Osteoarthritis
The most common arthritis we see in our clinical practice is osteoarthritis. Typically osteoarthritis can affect the knee, hip and almost any other joint in the human body.
Here the protective cartilage covering over the end of joints wears out leading to ‘bone rubbing against bone’ ultimately resulting in wear and tear. When this process goes on for a long time, patients ultimately develop chronic pain and the range of motion gets limited
Rheumatoid arthritis
In this type of arthritis, your immune system gets a bit confused and attacks your own joints. This results in uncontrolled inflammation, joint pain and chronic erosion of the joint.
To a certain extent rheumatoid arthritis is also genetic in nature. The aim of treatment is to usually use certain medications called DMARD (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) which can then help prevent the progress of the disease.
Gout
Gout is form of metabolic arthritis that results from uric acid levels becoming very high in the body. The uric acid crystal are typically needle shaped and deposit in the joint resulting in sharp spiking pain.
Do I have arthritis?
One of the biggest mistakes older people tend to do is assume that their joints are ‘worn out’ due old age. Arthritis in itself is a tricky diagnosis and most people assume they know the reason for their joint pain. Getting a consultation can usually save you from allowing the disease from progression
How to prevent arthritis?
Some tips that can help you prevent arthritis to a certain extent include
- Maintaining and having a healthy weight
- Smoking and alcohol
- Eating a healthy diet
- Avoiding high impact sports activities
Diagnosing arthritis
Arthritis can be easily diagnosed by a clinical examination along with basic blood testing. Your rheumatologist or ortho specialist will assess your joint and look for pain, swelling, inflammation and range of motion. Imaging studies will usually show whether there is joint inflammation, cartilage erosion and other signs of inflammation
Early treatment of arthritis
Today numerous scientific studies have suggested that early treatment of arthritis can effectively prevent the progression of the disease. With newer drugs being discovered, we are well on our way to beating arthritis effectively.
Adoption of healthy lifestyle measures combined with medication is usually the first step to prevent the progression of the disease
In some instances, were the disease has progressed and there is irreversible joint damage, joint replacement may be the only treatment option
To sum up
‘Never ignore the health of your joints’. Be wise and consult your doctor at the earliest
Cheers!
I hope you enjoyed reading this article on bone fractures! Please do share it with your friends and loved ones!
References
https://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2017/03/29/annrheumdis-2016-210711
https://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/what-is-arthritis.php
Did you have a joint swelling?. Are you worried about a possible arthritis?. Get in touch below
