Hand Arthritis - Its Symptoms and How They Affect You

When arthritis is mentioned one immediately imagines an illness affecting the elderly. However this disease is no respecter of age as anyone can develop it. It might surprise you that there are many forms of this illness. Painful or swollen joints often indicate an arthritic condition but there are many other causes too. If arthritis is suspected correct diagnosis from a medical professional it essential to determine a treatment.

Should the condition be diagnosed the two forms most of us are familiar with are Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis. Though they may share some common similarities of symptoms such as knuckle pain or swollen joints, they are quite different diseases.

Osteoarthritis is the type expected to affect mainly older people because it is a degenerative, 'wear and tear' kind of illness. With this form you may awake in a morning and any joint can be troubled feeling stiff for a while. The wearing away of cartilage and loss of lubricating fluid between joints is the main reason for osteoarthritis pain. Often in smaller joints such as in the fingers bony enlargements can occur and though not always painful in themselves they do frequently cause limitations of use.

Rheumatoid arthritis is altogether different in that it is an autoimmune disease. Its principle symptoms are inflammation of joints causing swelling and pain. Although the stiffness associated with the osteo form is absent significant and increasing deformity of the fingers ensues as the disease progresses. Again this is very distressing and means even simple tasks like buttoning clothes is very difficult to do.

With medical treatment, pain control and in some instances surgery, the illness can be made tolerable. At present there is no known cure for many arthritis conditions but some milder types can be remedied with treatments such as antibiotics or avoiding foods known to irritate the condition.

Another great advance in making many people's lives easier is through the use of gadgets and disability aids such as specially designed can and jar openers, cutlery and various holders. Making full use of this kind of equipment can vastly improve a sufferer's daily life.