Arthritis Pain And What To Do About It

Do you know the risk factors?

Is there anything you can do to prevent the onset of arthritis?

What can you do to reduce the pain once you’ve got it?

These are the primary questions for which we all need answers.

Understanding Arthritis

Anyone, at any age, of any race and of either gender can be affected by arthritis. Although the risk of arthritis increases with age, even young babies can be affected. There are certain risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing arthritis:

Family history
While the causes of arthritis are not yet known, family history does seem to indicate a likelihood that at some point, you may have arthritis. However, you may be one of the lucky ones and the arthritis trigger (your DNA) may never be switched on.

An Injury of, or around, the joint

Sports injuries, a fall, a car accident or some other type of joint injury can damage the normal smooth surface of a joint which can significantly increase the likelihood of arthritis in that joint later in life.

Illness or Infection
An infection in a joint, several episodes of gout or some other medical conditions can lead to arthritis developing in an affected joint.

Weight
Extra body weight requires extra support which puts extra strain on load-bearing joints such as the hips and knees. The extra stress on the joint causes damage which can then lead to arthritis.

Age
While this disease can attack at any age, it most commonly begins between 25-55 years of age. Joint cartilage wears as we age, it becomes brittle and has a lowered capacity for self-repair.

Gender

Arthritis affects more women than men after the age of 55 but osteoarthritis sufferers under the age of 45 are more likely to be men. Combine wear and tear factors with a reduction in hormones as women, in particular, age and developing arthritis becomes more likely.

Arthritis Flickr creative commons - by Cloudsoup

Arthritis by Cloudsoup – Flickr

Occupational Hazards

Doing physically repetitive jobs such as on an assembly line or computer operators or stressful and physically demanding jobs such as construction can put you at a higher risk for developing arthritis.

Ethnicity

Certain races are more prone to different types of arthritis, for instance in the USA, African Americans have a greater likelihood for developing an arthritic disease called lupus. African Americans and Caucasians run a greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than do Asian or Hispanic Americans.

What Are Some Of The Treatments Currently Available?

Things you can do for yourself to ease your symptoms:

Do gentle, regular exercises to strengthen your joints and stop them getting weaker and stiffer but be careful not to over do it.
Get enough rest and rest painful joints particularly during a flare-up.
Reduce the amount of stress in your life and on your joints.
Lose those extra pounds to reduce the pressure on joints. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, low in saturated fats.
Consult an occupational therapist for information on ways to make everyday tasks easier; specialist equipment may be available for your specific problems.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, fish oil and flax seed (both high in omega 3,6, and 9) are among the supplements people find helpful. It can take 3 months before you notice any benefits.
Acupuncture, massage and aromatherapy can all have a therapeutic effects as well as relaxing and de-stressing the sufferer.

Always talk to your doctor about any changes you are thinking about making including exercise and supplements.

Things the medical establishment can do for you:

The use of a painkiller such as Paracetamol often helps relieve pain and stiffness.
Anti-inflammatory medicines help relieve pain, swelling and can reduce inflammation.
Cortico-steroid injections into a specific joint can help reduce severe inflammation.
To slow the progression and ease symptoms, some people find anti-rheumatic drugs beneficial, however they do tend to take several months to work and you may need to try more than one type.
For more severely damaged joints and if medication hasn’t help, an operation may be the answer. Among those that have been found useful are replacement of one or both hip or knee joints, removal of the lining of the inflamed joint (Synovectomy), repair or removal of severely inflamed tendons and fusing the joint to stabilize it.

If you are among those at risk for arthritis, you can do some things to reduce the likelihood of actually developing the disease. Establishing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle – exercising regularly, eating a moderate, well balanced diet and keeping your stress levels under control can make a significant difference to your life in general and lower your risk at the same time.

About the Author

Monika Nolte

LegendI am a Professional Seo Consultant based in the UK, providing Seo Services to clients all over the world. Ezine Articles expert author supplying article writing services. I also provide Web Design and Development. Our company will be happy to help you improve your page rank and traffic. http://www.redhotwebhosting.co.uk

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