Through this blog, we will discuss arthritis's common types, causes, symptoms, complications, diagnosis, and home remedies along with other treatment modalities.
When the joints in the body become tender and swollen, it can be due to a condition known as. Mainly arthritis presents symptoms including joint pain and stiffness, and these symptoms typically keep worsening with age. There are many types of arthritis, most common types are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Sometimes, your immune system starts attacking your body cells in the joints that are close to the lining of the joints, it occurs in arthritis. Whereas, in osteoarthritis, the cartilage starts to break, cartilage is a slippery hard tissue covering the ends of the bones at the joint.
Some other types of arthritis are lupus, and psoriasis, in which uric acid crystals form causing gout.
With the type of arthritis, the treatment modality and approach changes, although the main treatment approach in arthritis remains at improving the quality of life.
What Are the Types of Arthritis?
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Gout
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Thumb arthritis
- Septic arthritis
What Are the Common Symptoms of Arthritis?
The signs and symptoms of arthritis revolve around the joints. The signs and symptoms vary with the type of arthritis, which may include:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Decreased motion range
- Redness
Why Does Arthritis Happen?
Causes of the most common two types of arthritis that damage joints differently-
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Rheumatoid arthritis
When your body's immune system starts to attack the cells present in the lining of the capsule of the joint, which is a tough membrane enclosing the joint components (cartilage), it is the main cause of rheumatoid arthritis. As the disease progresses, the lining also known as synovial membrane keeps getting destroyed and becomes swollen and inflamed.
-
Osteoarthritis
The most common causes of this type of arthritis are joint injury or infection. Osteoarthritis progressively wears and tears the joint's cartilage. Cartilage plays a cushioning effect at the joints (bone ends) thereby, allowing an almost frictionless motion of the joint. With osteoarthritis destruction to this cartilage damages bone, grinding it directly on the bone, causing pain and restricting joint movement. If the cartilage is severely damaged, it causes inflammation and swelling in the joint lining.
What Are the Risk Factors for Arthritis?
Risk factors for arthritis-
- Familial history
- Increasing Ag
- Women are more prone
- Previous joint injuries like in athletes
- Obesity
What Are the Complications of Arthritis?
- Severe arthritis can make doing your daily chores a challenge particularly when arthritis occurs in your hands or arms.
- When weight-bearing joints get affected by arthritis, walking, sitting, or standing straight becomes difficult.
- Sometimes, progressive arthritis can cause malalignment and mis-shaping of the joints.
How is Arthritis Diagnosed?
Diagnosis of Arthritis Includes
- The doctor starts diagnosing arthritis by physically examining you for joint swelling, warmth, and redness. They will also check how well you can move the joints.
- Laboratory tests involve examining different types of body fluids, that tell the exact location and the type of arthritis.
Common Fluid Analysis Involves
- Blood tests,
- urine tests
- joint fluid examination with synovial fluid test. (Book Now!) and Synovial fluid for crystals test (Book Now!)
Imaging Tests for Arthritis
- X-rays use radiations of a low level, that helps to visualize cartilage loss, bone damage, and bone spurs. X-rays are used to measure the progression of the disease, but they may not tell early arthritic damage. (Book Now!)
- Computerized tomography (CT) captures images of the joint from different angles and combines them to produce a cross-sectional view showing both the bone and its surrounding soft tissues. (Book Now!)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and strong magnets, to produce more-detailed images in a cross-sectional view, it shows cartilage, ligaments, and tendons of the joint in a defined manner. (Book Now!)
- Ultrasound scan is a safe diagnostic modality that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the cartilage, soft tissues, and fluid-containing structures of the joints (bursae). (Book Now!)
- Ultrasound-guided aspiration process that uses a needle to remove joint fluid or to inject the necessary medications into the joint space.
- Arthroscopy is a diagnostic procedure that can help view the joint (Book Now!)
Other Arthritic Packages That Ganesh Diagnostics Possess
- Arthritis Panel Basic
- Arthritis Panel-2
- Arthritis Test at Home
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Panel
- Arthritis Profile Basic
- GDIC Arthritis Profile Package
- Arthritis Advance Panel
- Free Home blood sample collection
What Are the Treatment Options for Arthritis?
Treatment of arthritis mainly focuses on symptomatic relief to help improve joint functions. Treatment, or a combined treatment approach is to be determined for every individual individually. Some of the modalities are-
Medications
- NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. For example ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and (Aleve) naproxen sodium. Some strong NSAIDs may irritate the stomach and might additionally increase the risk of a stroke or heart attack.
- Counterirritants are a variety of ointments and creams that contain capsaicin or menthol or capsaicin, rubbing these interferes with the pain transmission signals.
- Steroids or corticosteroids including prednisone, decrease pain and inflammation, also they can slow the joint damage. These can be given as an injection into the painful joint or a pill. Although, they have some side effects like bone thinning, diabetes, and weight gain.
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can slow down the progression, saving the joint and surrounding tissues from permanent damage. They have some side effects as they can increase the risk of developing an infection.
Therapy
Physical therapy like exercises can improve the motion range and strength of the muscles. Sometimes braces, or splints might be given.
Surgery
When conservative measures do not yield benefits, your doctor might suggest you some surgery, including:
- Joint repair surgery arthroscopically
- Joint replacement with an artificial joint
- Joint fusion is where the ends of bones are fused, eliminating the joint.
What Are the Home Remedies for Arthritis?
In many cases, home remedies can prove to be helpful in reducing and controlling arthritis symptoms, such as
- Weight loss- Losing excess weight can help increase the range of motion of the weight-bearing joints, limiting the progression and chances of future injury.
- Regular exercise keeps the joints flexible.
- Ice packs or heating pads can help with arthritis pain.
- Assistive devices can help perform your daily chores including canes, walkers, shoe inserts, raised toilet seats, and others.
- Acupuncture at specific sites and with appropriate techniques can help reduce arthritis pain.
- Glucosamine works as a placebo. They can help with moderate to severe pain.
- Chondroitin can provide modest pain relief in certain cases.
- Fish oil has been shown to help with arthritis symptoms as shown in some preliminary studies. You should consult with your doctor before starting to consume fish oil as it can interfere with medications.
- Yoga and tai chi involving stretching, may help improve the flexibility and motion range of your joints.
- Massaging the area with light stroking and kneading motion may increase the flow of blood to your joints and warm the affected joints, which relieves the joint temporarily.
