As people age, it’s common for them to feel pain in their joints. This can be especially true in their hands and feet. In most cases, this joint pain is the result of arthritis. Arthritis causes the joints to feel pain through one of a number of different methods. There’s actually over 100 different forms that arthritis can take.
Once it’s determined which form of arthritis is affecting a patient, then they can work to try to keep it from becoming much worse. Many forms of arthritis are degenerative and get worse over time. In these cases, there are methods to reduce the issues that people have to deal with on a day to day basis. Take this opportunity to learn more about arthritis and what can be done about it.
Types of Arthritis
Contrary to what most people think, there are actually a wide number of different types of arthritis that can affect a person. Each occurs in a slightly different way. Some of the most common forms of arthritis include:
- Osteoarthritis - This is the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs in most cases due to age. It’s the breakdown of the joints over time from basic wear and tear. This can be accelerated if you suffer from an injury or are overweight. The cartilage that covers the bones at their end at the joint breaks down and results in people suffering from aching pains in the joints that makes it hard to grip things or perform daily actions.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis - People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis hassle their immune system actually attack the joints. It attacks the areas around the joints, which become inflamed. People will feel a lot of pain and can suffer from swelling. This form of arthritis can affect both small and large joints.
- Psoriatic Arthritis - This form of arthritis deals with psoriasis. The skin becomes red and inflamed from psoriasis. The arthritis causes a ton of swelling in fingers and toes and their nails can become oddly colored or pitted. Sometimes psoriatic arthritis is very particular and only affects a single joint or two.
- Lupus - This is another autoimmune disease that affects the body. It causes a large amount of inflammation in a person’s joints, as well as organs and the brain. Lupus affects women more commonly than it does men and is often distinctly recognized by a butterfly rash in a person’s face across both cheeks.
Arthritis Treatment
For many people, medications are the main way that they take care of arthritis. Pain relief can come in the form of basic painkillers, while other medications are used to reduce inflammation. In cases of autoimmune causes, there’s the chance that some medications can reduce the effectiveness of the immune system.
There are a variety of types of therapy that can be used as well. Physical therapy can be an important part of the lifestyle for someone with arthritis. Maintaining as much flexibility and range of motion as possible is important. This can be assisted by getting regular exercise, especially low impact exercise.
For severe cases, the final form of treatment can be surgery. There’s a variety of options that can be tried. Joint repair smoothes surfaces and can realign them in an appropriate joint size. Joint replacement can use a complete replacement, which is often made of titanium. Surgery for smaller joints may fuse them and lock them together into a rigid unit. While this damages movement, it will stop the continuous pain.