Arthritis Facts

arthritis literally means inflammation of joint. It affects around 35 million people in U.S.A alone. It is a degenerative disease affecting more women than men. Arthritis is the disease of the skeletal system generally affecting people in the age group 60-65.

Worn out cartilage in the joint causes arthritis. There is a shock absorbing tissue called cartilage in the joints that covers the ends of the bones to facilitate smooth movement of bones over each other. A healthy cartilage is thick enough to absorb the shock of the movement. When the cartilage is worn out or becomes thin,the bones rub against each other causing inflammation and pain. In due course the joint may lose it's shape and small bone growths called bone spurs can form at the edges of the bones. Pieces of cartilage can break off and drop into the joint space causing more pain. There are the types of arthritis namely osteoarthritis,rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is caused by genetic predisposition and affects more women than men. It is found that high heels worn by women might have contributed since pressure on joints increase when they are worn. It generally affects older people in the age group 60-65.

Rheumatoid arthritis is also caused by the genes,and is called whole body illness. It also affects more women than men and affects the younger people in the age group 20-30. It causes fatigue and anemia. This type of arthritis worsens quickly and may permanently damage the joint within a year ,so early treatment is very important to avoid damage to the joints and to stop the progression of the disease.

There is no known arthritis cure but only supportive care to reduce pain and to delay the progression of the disease. The following tips may help. Consume more fish oil since it contains omega-3 fatty acids which have anti inflammatory properties and may ease the pain. Add lots of vegetables to your diet such as tomato,carrots,spinach which contain lots of vitamin-c and beta-carotene which might help in slowing down the progression of the disease. Take vitamin-e and vitamin-d supplements. Exercise regularly after consulting your doctor. It is found that brisk walking and jogging actually helps in controlling the disease. Join support group to get support and advice.Above all, be positive and face the challenge boldly.

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This post was written by Chandrasekaran Rajamani on April 14, 2010

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Hip Arthritis Symptoms ” Is Increasing Age A Factor?

by Lizzie S Joyner

When a person suffers from hip arthritis, he or she will, under most circumstances, suffer from a condition known as osteoarthritis which a very common form of hip arthritis, and which is sometimes also known as wear-and-tear arthritis and even degenerative joint disease. This form of hip arthritis is characterized by gradual damage to the cartilage of a persons joints and when the cartilage that protects the joints becomes worn out due to such a form of arthritis, the bones become exposed in the persons joints resulting in a great deal of distress.

Though any one can be afflicted by hip arthritis, it is routinely associated with folks that are 50 years old or older, and the difficulty is also more typically seen in patients that are oversized, and also that when the same person starts to shed pounds there's a steady improvement in the condition and symptoms of hip arthritis begin to fade away. Doctors also believe that hip arthritis can be caused due to genetics and so if you belong to a family in which somebody has this form of arthritis, then you may be in danger of afflicted by the same.

There are certain other factors too that can cause a person to suffer from hip arthritis and these include having trauma with the hip and even because of fracturing of bones that are located close to joints. There are certain symptoms that you will notice if you are suffering from hip arthritis and these symptoms tend to get worse as the condition deteriorates further.

However, it is also not the case that the symptoms will become worse with the passage of time and it can occur that a patient has some months that are good as far as their condition is concerned, while other months may turn out to be bad, and symptoms may also are affected because of changes in the weather conditions. Thus, hip arthritis symptoms noticed on a particular day may not appear on other days, and they may also not be an accurate representation of the way in which the condition is progressing.

Common symptoms of hip arthritis include pain when performing activities, limitation to how much a person can move about, hips becoming stiff and needing to limp while walking. It is also recommended to get treated as soon as the symptoms appear, and the treatments can either are very basic in some instances, while other instances may even warrant surgery to be performed. In any case, you will need to get expert medical advice to know what the best treatments for your particular case of hip arthritis warrants.

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This post was written by Lizzie S Joyner on August 20, 2009

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Arthritis Explained – Examine Your Symptoms If You Think You Have The Disease

by Carol Bell

It is very worrying if you think you have arthritis. In today's computer age we can find an enormous amount of information about any subject, which can be helpful, but also frightening. There are many sources of information from which we are able to find out about all the details of the disease in great depth. However we must be careful that we do not get so much information about the disease that we question the fact that we have it and instead imagine that we are suffering from something much worse. We must examine all the symptoms of arthritis and realise that we do not have to have all of them to suffer from the disease.

When we hear the word arthritis, the image of elderly people with joint problems probably pops into our head. However, in more scientific terms, what is arthritis? Most varieties of arthritis create aches and enlargement of your joints. Joints are simply locations where two different bones meet. Examples include your knee or elbow. Within time, a swollen joint can turn into extremely impaired. Particular forms of arthritis can even cause difficulties involving your organs including your heart or eyes. Among the various types of arthritis, some exclusively affect children, or are related to ones immune system or aging.

After learning what is arthritis, you should determine if you have it yourself. In this process, pain can be your friend. Without feeling pain, we would not have warning signs that we have particular illnesses or diseases. In the case of arthritis, if you are experiencing constant swelling, heat, weight loss, pain, breathing difficulty, or redness, you may have arthritis. Nonetheless, experiencing arthritis pain and discomfort does not imply that no relief exists.

If you indeed have arthritis, you may have either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis--two of the most typical forms of the disease. Osteoarthritis often is a consequence of aging, and often is affecting one's knees, hips and fingers. On the other hand, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your body's defence system malfunctions. This is affecting bones, joints, and even internal organs. Rheumatoid arthritis could lead you to feel exhausted or sick, and can make a fever.

After learning what's arthritis, if you think that you'll have the illness, visit a doctor immediately! Only a doctor is qualified to figure out if you have arthritis, and how it should be dealt with. You must inform the doctor about what kind of discomfort you are experiencing. Through blood tests and x-rays, the doctor can identify which sort of arthritis you are suffering from, if indeed you do.

If the doctor can confirm that you indeed have arthritis, he can then debate the ideal treatment available. The physician may prescribe medicine that will treat rigidity, soreness and aches.

If you still be afflicted by discomfort after taking arthritis drugs, you may also rest the distended joint, engage in some light stretching exercises, take a shower with warm water, or place an ice pack on the distended area. If those treatments together with the medicine don't supply adequate relief, contact your health practitioner.

At that juncture, you may need to consider surgery. Your doctor can explain what's arthritis surgery. After we find out what is arthritis, we should establish if personally we are suffering from the illness. Then, if required, we will take acceptable steps to put ourselves on the path to relief and contentment.

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This post was written by Carol Bell on July 14, 2009

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