What are my chances of developing arthritis in my knees?
Your chances of developing arthritis overall are fairly high. Osteoarthritis affects approximately one in 6 adults at right around 50 million people. If you are a woman, your chances are slightly higher than men for developing arthritis. But overall the chances are approximately 15 to 20%.
What are the different types of arthritis?
The most common type of arthritis by far is osteoarthritis. This is a degenerative joint disease that comes on from wear and tear from normal activities. It is due to cartilage that normally covers the ends of our bones deteriorating. This causes pain and loss of range of motion as bone begins to rub against bone when the cartilage is gone.
Additional types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis which is an autoimmune disease, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis, lupus, and some people include scleroderma and fibromyalgia as types of arthritis.
Who is most commonly affected with arthritis?
As mentioned arthritis afflicts more women than it does men. There are so many types of arthritis identified, it affects people in all age groups including children to the tune of 300,000. Most commonly at risk are those termed "baby boomers". Over half of those afflicted with arthritis are under the age of 65.
What treatments are available for arthritis?
The treatments for arthritis will depend first of all what kind of problem the patient has. If it's an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis then there are various medications such as methotrexate or low-dose steroids that may be effective. The same is true for lupus which is another autoimmune disorder with treatments by a rheumatologist often being extremely effective. When a person has gout there are medications to help counteract the situation and to help prevent it from coming back. The medications prescribed for gout will vary depending on which type the patient has.
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, has multiple levels of treatments available. The first would include activity avoidance, which means that if a certain activity flares up arthritis pain it should be avoided. Secondly, there are medications that can help a lot such as anti-inflammatory medications and Tylenol. These should always be taken according to the manufacturers recommendations. Injections of steroid medication can help significantly in osteoarthritis along with the other types as well including rheumatoid arthritis.
There is an additional type of injection frost urethritis which consists of hyaluronic acid injections. These help replace the lubricating joint fluid and can promote the body to make more. There are also some nutritional supplements called glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate which can help protect cartilage and also promote the body to make a little bit more.
At what point do I need surgery for my arthritis condition?
Arthritis is not a fatal condition. Therefore, having surgery for arthritis is a quality of life decision and should be considered a last resort. Only the patient him or herself can know just how bothersome the arthritis is. Therefore, after substantial nonoperative treatment has been tried, it can only be up to the patient to decide just how much pain they are in, how much pain they can tolerate, and whether surgery is right at that point in time.
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