How to Beat Arthritis

Arthritis is a severely debilitating disease. It means "joint inflammation", and more than one hundred rheumatic diseases are clubbed under the title of "arthritis". It can affect any body part, even though most commonly afflicting joints. Pain, stiffness and swelling of joints are the main symptoms, but arthritis can also impact muscles and bones. While generally associated with aging people, this disease can and does affect people of all ages, including youth and children. Treatment is absolutely necessary, because if allowed to aggrevate, the disease causes damage to joints and organs, which cannot be cured. Its incidence is more among women and chances of occurring increase with age.

The common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis occurs in the joints, with the pressure and wear and tear, usually due to increasing age or obsetiy. Since more weight means more pressure on joints during day to day functioning, osteoarthritis patients get some relief with shedding of excess weight. Osteoarthritis causes swelling and tenderness of mainly joints of knees, hips, hands and the spine, but may gradually impact the surrounding areas also. Repeated activities involving the same joints also increases the likelihood of osteoarthritis impacting those particular areas.

Rheumatoid arthritis also has similar symptoms as those of osteoarthritis, but the cause is different. For various unknown reasons, the body itself attacks some of the cells lining the joints. It is an autoimmune disease and most often lasts for a long time. The cause for rheumatoid arthritis is probably genetic, because it is the body's own immune system that causes it. It is generally symmetrical in nature, that is, the same joints on both sides of the body get affected.

Juvenile arthritis, though not as common as the other two types, affects children. It has different symptoms and needs to be present for over a month and a half in order to be diagnosed accurately.

All forms of arthritis cause the patient to have decreased ability to use the affected joints. Daily activities are hampered. But often, more important is the psychological impact it has on individuals. We quite take for granted the use of all body parts that we are endowed with from birth. The wear and tear caused by pressure, repeated usage or excessive weight is not taken into account until arthritis sets in. When it does, it is very difficult for the affected person to come to terms with the fact that what could so far be done effortlessly would now be difficult to do, probably even impossible.

An early diagnosis can set in early medication and effective treatment. There are different categories of medications like painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. Modern medicine also advocates alternative therapies like homeopathy, reiki and yoga. The best way to fight arthritis is to decide which one suits you the best and stick to a treatment routine. Some topical application preparations are also available to relieve arthritic joint pains. One may consider using any of these, after prior consultation with a doctor.

The ultimate and last resort for combatting arthritis is joint surgery. Doctors may recommend this for a long-suffering patient.

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