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A Guide For Both Patients and Their Families

Arthritis affects millions of people in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. Many people start off by feeling stiffness and pain in their bodies, maybe their hands get sore, maybe its their knees or shoulders, maybe they become so sore and swollen that it makes it difficult and painful to move at all. Yes, they’re very likely to be  living with arthritis.

More than 100 different types of arthritis can sometimes make diagnosis difficult. Generally affecting the joints, arthritis can also affect other organs like the eyes, the skin or the chest. Some people think that once they’ve got arthritis it’s the beginning of the end . . . . that they will no longer be able to work, look after their children, even look after themselves, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Arthritis is a very painful and debilitating disease it’s true, but it’s also true that there are things which you can do to make living with arthritis a little easier.

Most Common Types of Arthritis

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, but the most common diseases are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Osteoarthritis – the most common form. Usually arrives with old age, very often in the knees, hips and fingers. Injured joints can also be susceptible to osteoarthritis, so a knee injured at a young age playing soccer, for example, might develop arthritis in the same joint many years later.
• Rheumatoid arthritis – the second most common type of arthritis is a sign that the body’s defense system is not functioning as it should. This affects many joints and bones but internal organs can also be affected by rheumatoid arthritis. It can make you feel very tired or sick, even with a fever.
• Gout – is a form or arthritis which is caused by crystals which build up over time on the joints – especially the joint of the big toe which becomes inflamed, swollen and extremely painful, but other joints can also be affected.

Have You Got Arthritis

Pain is a sure indication that something is going wrong in your body, and the majority of types of arthritis cause severe pain in the joints. It can make it difficult for you to move about, and different types of arthritis can affect different parts of your body. As well as painful joints you could also experience;

• weight loss for no apparent reason
• a fever
• trouble with breathing
• develop an itch or a rash

What Can You Do About It

First of all, go to the doctors! If you’ve been using some over the counter medication or herbal medicines, tell him about it, you really need the doctor to diagnose whether you are in fact suffering from arthritis, and if so, what type of arthritis you have. Only then can you go about treating your arthritis in the right way. Tell him how you feel . . . . where it hurts . . . how long it’s been happening. Tell him everything about your symptoms even if you don’t think that they are anything to do with arthritis, they just might be. Once he knows what he’s dealing with your doctor will be able to prescribe the correct medication for you, and tell you how often to take your tablets and rub in the cream.

If your arthritis is still painful after you’ve taken the medication prescribed by your doctor, there are one or two other things you can do yourself to help to ease the pain.

• take a warm bath or shower
• do a few gentle stretching exercises, nothing too strenuous and nothing too repetitive
• place an ice pack onto the sore areas (frozen peas might help if you don’t have a proper ice pack)
• rest the joint, rest the joint and rest it a little bit more
• if none of the above helps, go back to the doctor and tell him . . . he may need to alter your medication or advise some other form of treatment. Some people need to have joints replaced with surgery.

Arthritis – Stop It In Its Tracks

Although living with arthritis is extremely painful and can be very difficult, there are a few things which you can do yourself to make living a little easier, stop the damage from worsening and even to make your feel a little better.

• Watch your weight – carrying even a few extra pounds can affect your joints, particularly putting excess strain onto your knees, hips and ankles.
• Keep on moving – exercise is the best therapy for arthritis, it’s important to keep your joints moving. Try going for a walk each day, you’ll be amazed at how much it can help the situation.
• A warm shower every morning will help to start your day.
• Follow your instructions for your medication as precisely as you can . . . take them when you are supposed to, and take them how you are supposed to. Before meals? After meals? With milk?
• Frequent visits to the doctor are important for him to keep an eye on your progress.

Don’t think that just because you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis that it’s the end of the world, because it really doesn’t have to be that way at all.

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