Arthritis Treatment, Causes, Types, Symptoms, Medication And Facts

Also known as degenerative joint disease, Osteoarthritis is a type or arthritis that involves degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone. Generally, it affects the fingers or the hands, spine, feet, thumb, neck, large toe and large weight bearing joints such as the knees and the hips.

A protein substance known as the cartilage is a firm, rubbery material that serves as a “cushion” between the bones of the joints which could be flexible or can easily change its shape when flattened, compressed or pressed together. But when a person develops osteoarthritis, the cartilage becomes stiff, inelastic and lessens the shock absorbing ability, which causes pain and in some cases, causes the bone to rub each other.

This disease is mainly due to wear and tear and it develops as age increases. More women can get osteoarthritis than men. However, people also who are in their 20s and 30s could also get osteoarthritis. Development of osteoarthritis is caused by a lot of factors. These include heredity, obesity, injury and joint overuse.

Symptoms include joint ache and soreness when moving, pain after overuse or inactivity for a long period of time, body enlargements in the middle and end joints of the fingers which could either be painful or not, and joint fluid accumulation and swelling.

Osteoarthritis is diagnosed based on a combination of factors such as the description of symptoms, the location and pattern of pain, and when needed, certain physical examination findings. Sometimes blood tests and X-rays are to be done to determine further the type of arthritis which helps in the confirmation of the diagnosis. Joint aspiration could also be done if there is an accumulation of fluid in the joints for the purpose of ruling out other diseases.

Treatment for osteoarthritis would always depend again on several factors like activities, age, occupation, medical history, overall health, location of arthritis, and severity of the condition. It is commonly treated through physical therapy that involves strengthening exercises for the muscles, oral or intravenous medications, use of crutches or canes and weight control. Hot and cold compress can be applied to the painful joint.

Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are to be given as medications. These drugs include Tylenol or acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, or Celebrex. Topical creams, sprays, and rubs may be applied over the affected areas for pain relief. Steroids can also be injected directly into the joint but these drugs can lead to bone and cartilage weakness and deterioration if used in a long period of time. Acupuncture and bioelectric therapy can also be of great help in the relief of pain. But when the pain is severe, narcotics is to be administered however none of these drugs can lessen the development of joint damage due to osteoarthritis. Surgery is to be considered when pain is uncontrollable after all the mentioned medications and treatment is given or when the pain limits the patient from doing normal daily activities.

Prevention of osteoarthritis of the knees, reduction of stress on weight-bearing joints and also reduction of pain in affected joints can be achieved when you maintain your recommended weight. Sometimes losing weight could be deemed necessary for pain and stress relief in the joints. Gentle exercises like swimming or walking on flat surfaces is also important to improve joint mobility and muscle strengthening around the joints.

It is best to consult a physician for further assessment, correct administration of drugs and treatment in the prevention of osteoarthritis.

Hip replacement surgery is one of the treatment options available for arthritis patients. This procedure will require the doctor to remove the painful hip joint through surgery and replace it with artificial joint. This is usually a last resort when everything else doesn’t seem to help the patient to get the relief from their hip joint problem.

What To Expect During Hip Replacement Surgery

There are two methods available for hip replacement surgery to take place. It can be done either traditionally or a slightly modern method considered being slightly invasive. The main difference for these 2 procedures will be the size of incision.
Patient will be given general anesthesia as a way to relax their muscle and put them into a deep sleep temporarily during the hip replacement surgery process. This can help them go through the surgery painlessly. There are also cases where the doctor chooses to use spinal anesthetic during surgery.

The hip joint will be exposed after the doctor move the muscle connecting thighbone through a cut along the side of hip. The ball portion for hip joint will be cut from thighbone using a saw. It will be replaced by an artificial joint by using cement so that everything will stay attached with the new joint.

Next, the doctor will prepare the hipbone surface by getting rid of any damaged cartilage and attaching the replacement socket part to hipbone. After that, the new ball part of thighbone will be inserted into the part where the hip has a socket. The will be closed after the muscles are reattached after any fluid caused by this surgery process is drained.

Most surgeries that are performed nowadays are done through standard technique where there will be 8 to 10 inch cut done to the hip area. Years ago, doctors will have to perform minimally invasive technique and made one or two cuts about 2 to 5 inches. The exact procedure will be carried out through these small cuts.

There are opinions saying these small cuts will lessen blood loss and cause lesser pain during surgery procedure. This in effect will allow the patient to go home earlier and suffer lesser scar appearance on their hip area.

There are risks associated with hip replacement surgery though as it need to be done only by doctors who is highly skilled using the technique. You also should consider donating blood before the surgery as there will be blood loss and there’s a high chance that you’ll need blood transfusion during your surgery.
What To Expect After Hip Replacement Surgery

Most patient will have to stay at least 4 days in the hospital before they can move around. They’ll have to put wedged shaped cushion between legs to ensure the new hip joint will stay on its location.

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease and a type of inflammatory arthritis characterized by inflammation of the skin known as psoriasis and inflammation of the joints known as arthritis. It affects 10-30% of the Caucasian population in the United States. Psoriasis features patchy, raised, redness of skin inflammation with scaling, thickness, and dryness and nail abnormalities.

Symptoms include discomfort, stiffness, pain, throbbing, swelling or tenderness in one or more joints; joints decreased range of motion; morning stiffness and fatigue; silver or gray scaly spots on the scalp, knees, elbows, or the lower spine; inflammation or stiffness in the lower back, knees or ankles, wrists, or swelling in the small joints in the fingers and toes closest to the nail known as dactylitis; small depressions or pitting of the nails; detachment of fingernails or toenails; enthesitis; and inflammation of the eye.

Symmetric psoriatic arthritis, asymmetric psoriatic arthritis, distal interphalangeal predominant (DIP), spondylitis and arthritis mutilans are among the five types of psoriatic arthritis. Symmetric arthritis affects the same joints and in matching pairs on both sides of the body, while Asymmetric arthritis involves one to three parts of the body like the knee, hip, or one or more fingers. Distal interphalangeal predominant psoriatic arthritis is sometimes confused with osteoarthritis because it mainly affects small joints in toes and fingers that are nearer to the nail. Affecting the spinal column is spondylitis which causes neck, spinal vertebrae, lower back and pelvic area stiffness and inflammation. It also attacks connective tissue ligaments or may also be the cause of arthritic diseases affecting joints in the arms, legs, hips or feet. Last type of psoriatic arthritis is the arthritis mutilans which happens to be a destructive, deforming and severe form of psoriatic arthritis. This type of psoriatic arthritis is uncommon.

Psoriatic arthritis affects men and women equally and can progress at any age affecting mostly in people between their 30s and 50s. Genetic, immune system, infection and physical trauma are some of the factors causing psoriatic arthritis.
The diagnosis of the disease depends on the appearance of symptoms, complete evaluation of medical history, blood studies, physical examination and X-rays of the joints.

Medications for symptoms relief would include any combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) along with misoprostol (Cytotec). Corticosteroids or steroids like prednisone can be taken orally or by injection to reduce pain and inflammation. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or DMARDs such as methotrexate and sulfasalazine are given to modify or suppress the immune system which makes the disease process slow. Regular, tailored program of range-of-motion and strengthening exercises like hydrotherapy, recreational exercise, hot and cold therapy is also helpful to alleviate joint stiffness and pain. Synovectomy, a surgical procedure to restore joint function may be necessary when all other medications and treatments fail. Joint fusions can also be performed for pain relief that can no longer be controlled with treatment thus allowing the person to perform again his daily normal activities.

Three techniques which include pacing, conservative joint use and assistive devices such as canes and grab bars can contribute workloads distribution and stress throughout the body. Splinting may also be needed to minimize destruction of the joints.

Cure for psoriatic arthritis has not yet been discovered, however, understanding the disorder, personal observation and learning from it, exercise and assertive treatment has been proven to impede disability which lessens discomfort, stress and fatigue.