What is arthritis?
Arthritis is inflammation (swelling) of the joints due to multiple reasons. The tissue present in your joints aids the proper functioning of joints and prevents friction between bones. Any damage to the tissue at joints results in inflammation. Common arthritis symptoms are pain, redness, difficulty in movement and stiffness of joints.
About 15% of the population in India has arthritis. Arthritis symptoms are more common in women. People who are more active physically have fewer chances of having arthritis. The chances of experiencing arthritis symptoms increase with an increase in age.
Types of Arthritis and Their Causes
Commonly occurring types of arthritis include:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Juvenile arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
Arthritis Symptoms
The most commonly occurring signs and symptoms of arthritis include the following:
- Pain and tenderness in the joints
- Stiffness, particularly in the morning or after periods of inactivity
- Swelling or redness in the affected joints
- Reduced range of motion in the affected joints
- A grinding sensation when moving the affected joints
- Pain in the ankles when moving after sitting for a while
- Feeling of numbness in affected joints
Apart from this, some patients may experience nerve pain due to arthritis; this is similar to a stinging sensation. However, this is less common than the above mentioned symptoms.
Treatment of Arthritis
Treatment for different types of arthritis involves the use of the following medications:
- Analgesics: These are medications that help reduce your pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): They reduce your pain as well as inflammation.
- Steroids: They help reduce inflammation.
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs): These drugs help suppress one’s immune system, which then does not attack and damage the joints.
- Topical creams: These creams help reduce your feeling of pain.
Patients should seek advice from a medical practitioner or doctor if they opt for a treatment option. Know more at Medkart Medicines.
Complementary Therapies for Arthritis
Complementary therapies are broadly classified into the following types:
1. Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional therapy includes the following:
- Special diets, such as fruits, fish, dairy products, etc., help maintain good health. They also help in reducing or maintaining proper body weight. This partly reduces the burden on joint/s.
- Dietary supplements like dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), methylsulphonylmethane (MSM), S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), glucosamine and chondroitin work in managing arthritis symptoms.
- Probiotics are a good option for reducing arthritis symptoms.
2. Psychological Therapy
Various psychological therapies are suggested for arthritis, like hypnosis, meditation, music therapies, relaxation therapies, etc. They help in relieving pain and relaxing.
3. Physical Therapy
Physical therapies help improve your strength, flexibility and movement of joints and improve your ability to use the damaged joint. They include the following:
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture proves considerably helpful in relieving arthritis pain.
- Massage: Massage therapy helps in improving pain and mobility.
4. Recreational Therapy
Therapies like tai chi, yoga, dance and art therapies are included here.
- Yoga: Yoga helps improve your strength, physical function, flexibility, relaxation and movement of joints.
- Tai chi: It improves pain, physical function and stiffness. It also reduces depression and provides a better quality of life.
5. Mindful Consumption
Mindful eating is an alternative solution to treating arthritis. It involves training the mind to recognize physical cues, experiences and cravings while eating your food. It helps control your eating habits, leading to weight loss and reducing unnecessary food consumption.
Multiple medications are available like analgesics, NSAIDs, steroids and topical creams, to manage arthritis and DMARDs to manage rheumatoid arthritis. Along with medications, various complementary treatments help in the better management of your arthritis symptoms. Make sure you take your medications timely and explore complementary treatments.
To read more informative articles on arthritis, visit Medkart today!
FAQs related to Arthritis
1. Is arthritis curable?
No, arthritis cannot be completely cured, but diagnosis and treatment at the right time can help manage the arthritis symptoms well and reduce its rate of progression.
2. What are the symptoms of arthritis?
As arthritis symptoms, you may usually observe pain in the affected joints, inflammation and stiffness of the joints.
3. What are the treatments for arthritis?
Arthritis treatment involves a combination of therapies. Along with medication, physical, psychological and nutritional therapies are also included. The treatment approaches focus on reducing pain, improving mobility and reducing joint damage.
