Arthritis is a disorder that affects your joints (areas where your bones meet and move). It commonly causes inflammation or joint degeneration (breakdown).
Other signs and symptoms include joint pain and swelling. The basic symptoms include stiffness and pain in the joints, which frequently worsen as people age. The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of Arthritis
The joints are where arthritis is most frequently seen in its signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms of various types may include:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Redness
- Reduction in range of motion
Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is a broader term, including more than 100 disorders. Following are some common types;
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, one of the most prevalent types of arthritis, is caused by regular wear and tear. This normal degeneration of cartilage tissue might be accelerated by an infection or a joint injury.
Your joints have cartilage, which is a flexible but firm connective tissue. By absorbing the pressure and shock that are produced when you move and put stress on the joints, it protects them. Osteoarthritis is brought on by a decrease in the typical amount of this cartilage tissue.
Gout and calcium crystal diseases
A typical and excruciating form of inflammatory arthritis is gout. One joint is typically affected at a time (often the big toe joint). There are remissions and flares, or periods without symptoms. Flares are periods when symptoms worsen. Gouty arthritis, an aggravating form of arthritis, can develop as a result of recurring cases of gout.
Gout cannot be cured, but it can be effectively treated and managed using medicine and self-management techniques.
Fibromyalgia
The symptoms of fibromyalgia include generalized pain across the body, trouble sleeping, exhaustion, and frequently emotional and mental distress. It is possible that those who have fibromyalgia are more sensitive to pain than those who do not. This is called abnormal pain perception processing. Although there is no known cause for fibromyalgia, it is treatable and manageable.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, often known as RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory condition in which your immune system mistakenly destroys healthy cells in your body, leading to inflammation (painful swelling) in the areas of your body affected.
RA primarily targets joints, typically a number of joints at once. Hand, wrist, and knee joints are frequently impacted by RA. Joint tissue is harmed in a RA-affected joint because of the inflammation of the joint lining. Above all, long-lasting or persistent pain, unsteadiness (loss of balance), and deformity can all result from this tissue damage (misshapenness).
In addition to these tissues, RA can harm other organs like the heart, lungs, and eyes as well as other tissues all over the body.
Treatment of Arthritis
Although there is no known treatment for arthritis, there are methods you can use to control your pains. Additionally, the severity of the disease, its symptoms, and your general health will all affect your therapy options.
Medication
Medication for pain and inflammation reduction may help with arthritic symptoms. Basically, biologic drugs work to reduce inflammation caused by your immune system. Rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis may be treated with biologics, according to a healthcare professional.
Physical therapy
Evidently, strength, range of motion, and general mobility can all be improved with rehabilitation. You can learn from therapists how to modify your regular routines to reduce discomfort.
Therapeutic injections
Finally, cortisone injections can reduce your joints' discomfort and inflammation temporarily. Visco-supplementation is a therapy that may help with arthritis in some joints, like your knee. It injects lubrication to facilitate easy joint movement.