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Arthritis Joint PainArthritis, a common
disorder that can affect anyone
is actually a complex disorder
comprising several conditions,
all of which sharing one common
symptom: arthritis joint pain.
There are many
different types of arthritis
joint pain - some most common
are osteoarthritis (OA),
rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
septic arthritis, and
gout. *Osteoarthritis (OA,
also known as
degenerative arthritis
or degenerative joint
disease, and sometimes
referred to as "arthrosis"
or "osteoarthrosis" or in
more colloquial terms "wear
and tear"), is a condition
in which low-grade
inflammation results in pain
in the joints, caused by
wearing of the cartilage
that covers and acts as a
cushion inside joints.
*Rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) is
traditionally considered a
chronic, inflammatory
autoimmune disorder that
causes the immune system to
attack the joints.
*
Septic arthritis is the
proliferation of bacteria in
joints and resultant
inflammation.
* Gout
(also called metabolic
arthritis) is a disease
due to an inborn uric acid
metabolism. ( (source:
wikipedia.com)
For most patients suffering from
arthritis joint pain, living
with this kind of condition
means a life-long task
punctuated with nothing but
agony. However, this does not
have to be the case with you.
While it is true that most forms
of arthritis are irreversible
(as it is impossible to grow
back a cartilage), there are
steps that you can take in order
to minimize the pain that is
usually associated with this
debilitating disease.
Protecting Your Joints
Although arthritis can strike
anyone at any time of their
life, most cases of arthritis
occurs in people who are older.
Aging appears to be a major
contributive factor to arthritis
joint pains - a fact that is
understandable as everyone goes
through a considerable amount of
wear and tear in their joints as
they grow older.
Age also causes toxic waste
circulation in the blood, dead
cells, and liquid can accumulate
in the various joints and cause
inflammation and pain. If
inflammation continues it can
cause damage to your joints. In
some cases the cartilage coating
on the bone ends, wears down and
the joints then rub, bone to
bone creating extreme pain.
In order to prevent further
damage and worse pain, be extra
careful as you go about your
daily routine. Below are some
tips to help you protect your
joints, recommend by the Mayo
Clinic:
- Save your weaker joints and
use the strongest joint instead.
For instance, you can carry
things with your palm open. That
way, you can distribute the
weight equally over your
forearm. Also, instead of
lifting things off the counter
or workbench, you can just slide
them along the surface.
Save Your Littel Finger
- Save your little finger. Don't
put too much stress on your
little finger by moving your
hands in such a way as to push
the other fingers toward your
little finger. Instead, try
brushing bread crumbs off the
table with the palm facing you
and the little finger resting on
the table.
- Avoid stressing your thumb and
fingers by making a tight fist
or holding items for too long.
You can do this by holding a
book, mug, or other things in
the palm of your hand, instead
of holding them with your
fingers. If you've been reading
a book for some time, use a book
holder instead of continually
supporting the book with your
fingers.
- Exercise those joints. Freedom
of motion is one of the things
that you may have to forsake if
you suffer from arthritis joint
pain. The longer you suffer, the
shorter range of movement you
will have at your disposal. You
can avoid this by moving your
joints through their full
pain-free range of motion. Do
this at least once a day and
observe the results.
- Learn to understand arthritis
joint pain. Of course, if you
have arthritis, it is most
likely that you will experience
arthritis joint pain. However,
try to distinguish between
arthritis joint pain and pain
that results from overusing a
joint. When you are able to do
this, you can determine what
specific activity that caused
you joint pain and avoid doing
it in the future. |
