Your Most burning Questions About Arthritis|Discover The Answers

Arthritis is a condition of inflammation of the joints that hinder you from doing easy daily activities.The chronic condition affects approximately 1 in 3 individuals ages 65 and older.

Osteoarthritis usually affects the knees, hips, lower back, neck, fingers, and shoulders.

What are the Symptoms of arthritis?

There are more than 100 types of arthritis. Arthritis does not cause any specific signs or symptoms but there are common symptoms including:

1- Pain

2- Tenderness

3- Loss of movement in one or more joints

4-Stiffness

5- Swelling

What are the types of arthritis?

There are many types of arthritis but the most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related disease characterized by chronic degeneration of articular cartilage and underlying bone.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that can cause pain and swelling in your joints. A doctor may call this condition "rheumatoid arthritis" or "RA."

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is form of rheumatoid arthritis that occur in children under 16

Gout

Gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when the body has too much uric acid. Uric acid is a waste product in the blood of humans and other animals. In humans, it normally dissolves in the blood and passes out of the body through the kidneys. If you have too much uric acid, it builds up and forms crystals in your joints.

Septic arthritis

septic arthritis is a form of septic joint disease, or infection of the joints. Septic arthritis is dangerous because the normal joint tissues are replaced with pus-producing tissue called pus. This pus can damage the joint.

Reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that develops in response to an infection elsewhere in the body, most commonly in the intestines or urinary tract. The infection triggers an immune system reaction that attacks the joints. Reactive arthritis usually affects the joints of the lower extremities, although it can occur elsewhere in the body.

Thumb arthritis

Thumb arthritis is a disease of the thumb joints. It is usually caused by repeated stress and pressure on the thumb, such as when gripping a steering wheel or handle of a tool. It can also be caused by injury or overuse (such as with sports).

Ankylosing arthritis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other forms of arthritis affecting the spine and other joints (ankylosing arthritis) occur when inflammation causes bones to fuse together.

The word "ankylosing" comes from the Greek word ankylos, meaning "bent or crooked".

What really causes arthritis?

There is no specific cause for arthritis.

Osteoarthritis can occur due to wear and tear of the cartilage covering the bone of the knee joint to reduce friction and allow comfortable movement.

Wear and tear can occur due to overuse of the joint for athletes and old age people.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs due to immune system disorder which attacks the synovial membrane lining joint capsule causing inflammation and swelling of the knee joint.

In addition to the causes , there are many factors which trigger development of arthritis.

1- Family history

2-Overweight

Obesity creates extra pressure on the knee joint.

3-Gender

Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in females but gout is more common in males.

4- Age

The risk of arthritis increases with age.

How can we diagnose arthritis?

clinical examination

Your doctor will examine your knee joint to check redness,swelling,warmth and range of movement by asking you to do specific movement.

Laboratory tests

We need to analyze body fluids to know the type of arthritis you have.

Blood,urine and synovial fluid analysis can help in diagnosis.

Doctor will disinfect the skin of the knee joint properly and insert the needle to take a sample of synovial fluid.

Imaging

1- Xrays

X-ray imaging is a diagnostic medical test that uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to make images of the inside of the body. X-rays can reveal bone and joint problems, intestinal obstructions, certain cancers and other abnormalities.

2-Ct scan

A CT scan (sometimes called a CAT scan) is a special X-ray test that makes detailed pictures or images of areas inside your body. A CT scan shows more detail than other tests, such as an X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

3-MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures. MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of the anatomy and the physiological processes that make up living organisms.

4-Ultrasound

Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is different from "normal" (audible) sound in that ultrasound is an inaudible frequency range. The upper limit of human hearing is generally defined as 20 kHz, although it can vary from person to person.

Ultrasound is a painless, non-invasive medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves to examine internal organs and tissues in real time.

Can arthritis be cured?

Unfortunately , there is no cure for arthritis but there are many different ways to reduce your pain and manage your symptoms like exercise , medications and knee support.

What is the standard treatment of arthritis?

There are many treatments for arthritis so you need to try many trials to reach the most suitable one for your case.

Medications

NSAIDS like naproxen and ibuprofen are the most common drugs used for arthritis as they relieve knee pain and reduce inflammation.

They are available in different forms like pills,ointment and gel.

Non steroidal anti inflammatory pills may cause some side effects like stomach irritation up to stomach ulcers.

Corticosteroids like prednisone reduce inflammation and can be injected directly into the knee joint but they have side effects like weight gain and increased risk for diabetes.

Counterirritants ointment and creams contain menthol and capsaicin that cause warming or cooling sensation when applied on the knee joint so they distract the brain from the knee pain.

Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs slow deterioration of rheumatoid arthritis.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy helps to keep the strength of surrounding muscles and improve range of movement.

Exercises help also to slow progression of arthritis and maintain surrounding tissues.

You can wear knee braces or splint during exercises or even daily activities to provide extra support for your knee joint and take the pressure away from the knee joint.

Surgery

Knee joint repair

Doctor smoothes the surfaces of the knee joint and realigns to decrease knee pain.

Knee joint replacement

knee replacement surgery replaces the knee's damaged parts with metal, plastic, or ceramic devices.

Summary

As we age, our bones become more brittle and start to break easily so take care and follow healthy lifestyle tips to keep your bones healthy for a long time.

By.Dr.Fatma Ragab