A Simple Guide to Arthritis

One of the most common ailments the elderly suffer from is arthritis. However, arthritis can affect people of all ages. It is a rheumatic disease as in, it affects joints and bones. It can be of many types and the term covers a number of inflammatory and non-inflammatory joint diseases. Some of the most well-known types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, bone spurs, gout, and osteoarthritis.

The causes of arthritis have not been defined but there are a number of factors that increase a person's chances of getting it. Foremost amongst these is increasing age and excess weight. Arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and lupus are said to be hereditary and linked to certain genes. Sometimes, injuries can also cause arthritic conditions. Misuse of steroids can also result in arthritis.

Here is a look at the most common symptoms of the disease :-

Pain around the joints is the most well-known symptom of arthritis. Along with pain, you may also notice swollen or stiff joints.
Increased body temperature around the affected joints and redness in the area is also a symptom of arthritis. These symptoms range from mild to severe, and can be constant or may come and go.
Everybody suffers from occasional joint pains but if any of the above symptoms persist for a long duration, it is best to consult a doctor. The sooner you seek treatment, the easier it becomes to deal with arthritis. If left untreated for too long, arthritis can result in permanent joint damage.

While there is no single cure for arthritis, it can be effectively controlled if treated in time. Since the type and severity of arthritis differ from person to person, treatment for the same must also be tailored to the needs of the individual.

Drugs for arthritis can be categorized as those that treat symptoms such as pain and stiffness, and those that suppress inflammatory conditions.

In some cases, surgery may be advisable. 

Physical therapy and regular exercise are very important when dealing with arthritis.

It is equally important to eat a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced diet. If you are overweight, try and lose the excess kilos.

You must also look after your joints to ensure that there is no further degradation of bone or muscle tissue. Avoid staying in one position for a long time, and try and maintain a good posture. These simple techniques can be very effective when dealing with all types of arthritis.

A Simple Guide to Arthritis

If you are looking for natural remedies for arthritis, you should opt for Ayurvedic treatment. Arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease causing damage to your joints and connective tissues. The knee gets commonly affected. There are three primary types of arthritis, which occur in your knees. Ayurveda is ideal for arthritis treatment, and there are several Ayurvedic remedies that you can opt for.

How Does Ayurveda Approach Arthritis?

Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis is based on the understanding of the various doshas or humors of the body. According to Ayurveda, there are four main humors in the body and it is these that govern our health, wellness and our proneness to disease. Arthritis, as per Ayurveda, is a condition caused due to the aggravation of vata dosha (air). The body produces ama   a toxin that is released as a by product of improper digestion. When ama is produced, it circulates in the body and gets deposited at sites that have already weakened. So when the vata is already stirring up, ama finds the perfect place to build up. That is why you experience arthritis in fingers or knees. For most people, arthritis in the knee is more painful than in the fingers because knees are load bearing joints. If you have arthritis in your knees, you will have trouble moving and the range of motion in your joints will be severely restricted. You may have to depend on people or walking aids to make even the smallest of movements.

Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis aims at balancing and stabilising the Vata component of your body. This is done by strengthening your alimentary canal and metabolic pathway. This makes sure that your circulatory channels do not get blocked by impurities, and are functioning properly. You need to drink a lot of water in order to detoxify your body. There are several Ayurvedic home remedies for arthritis treatment as well, which help in improving your motion range.

Treatment Tips:

You should start your day with a big glass of lukewarm lemon water every day.

You should opt for fenugreek which is an ideal natural inhibitor of ama and corrects your Vata dosha. This natural arthritis remedy can be taken in various ways. You can take these seeds in your food. You can also grind them, mix mustard oil to it, and apply the mixture to your joints. This provides warmth and relief to your joints.

You can opt for an Ayurvedic hot oil massage of your joints. This is effective, especially during the winter. You can use castor oil, and sesame seed oil for massaging your arthritis affected joints. Do not apply pressure while massaging your joints as applying pressure goes against the principles of Ayurveda.

It is recommended for you to meditate regularly for relieving stress and coping with anxiety. These factors are responsible for the development of ama in your body. Regular meditation makes your body relaxed and calm. You should practice yoga as it involves several breathing exercises which help in initiating you into meditation. Having effective control over your breath, your meditation will be more effective.

It is important for you to sleep early and wake up early. The disruption of your sleep cycle causes aggravation of all your doshas and causes stress and fear. A healthy sleep cycle helps you in keeping away from obesity. This improves the health of your load bearing joints, as the chances of them getting extra load because of obesity are prevented.

If you are looking for Ayurvedic remedies for arthritis, it is important for you to consult an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner. He will be able to prescribe you Ayurvedic remedies which suit your symptoms and stage of arthritis.

Arthritis: Is Ayurveda The Best Line Of Treatment?

Arthritis is a common musculoskeletal condition that affects elderly men and women. Joint pain, stiffness and inflammation are the most common symptoms of this condition. This pain can get so bad as to affect your movement and leave you unable to do simple things like walking up stairs or even simply turning a doorknob. 

Arthritis cannot be reversed but with medication and a few lifestyle changes, your quality of life can be improved.

Exercise and weight loss: Though it is difficult to do, losing weight can help relieve the pain of arthritis. This takes the pressure off your joints and increases the range of possible motions. Though exercising may be the last thing you want to do, it can help increase your flexibility and help strengthen your muscles. Aerobics, stretching and strength training are ideal for arthritic patients.
Assistive devices: Arthritis can make a person knock kneed or bow legged. Wearing unloading braces, shoe inserts or walking with a cane or shoe inserts can help redistribute your weight and take the pressure of your joints. It can also help relieve pain and prevent arthritis from worsening.
Eating right: Some types of food can worsen arthritic symptoms. This includes processed foods like white flour and sugar, yeast, chemical additives, gluten, hydrogenated and trans fats, milk products, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. Hence, avoid consuming these foods and instead have a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grain. You could also try alkaline foods like green leafy vegetables, wheatgrass and aloe vera.
Massage therapy: A massage not only de-stresses the body, but can also relieve muscle and joint pain by improving blood circulation. Massages also help break up muscular waste deposits and increase the amount of oxygen circulated in the body. This helps transport nutrients to tissues and carries toxins away. Ideally, an arthritic patient should have a massage 2-3 times a week in the beginning and at least twice a month once the condition has stabilised.
Supplements: Along with eating healthy, including a few supplements in your daily diet can also help alleviate arthritic symptoms. When it comes to rheumatic arthritis; the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C help fight arthritis by promoting bone and cartilage growth and reducing infection. Fish oil is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce inflammation, Vitamin D is another supplement that helps relieve arthritic pain by helping the bones absorb calcium faster and preventing further loss of cartilage.

Arthritis - 5 Easy Ways You Can Ease Your Suffering

Arthritis is defined as a disease that causes painful inflammation and stiffness in joints. There are some food items, which you should avoid if you are suffering from arthritis since they can worsen your condition and lead to inflammation and joint pain. Stick to a smart, nutritious diet that doesn't make you gain weight. The following food items should be struck off your daily meals:
 
1. Red meat: red meat has high levels of saturated fat. Patients of arthritis must avoid consuming foods containing saturated fat because they contribute to obesity. They also contain omega-6 fatty acids, which lead to inflammation if the intake is high. Red meat contributes to higher overall fat and calorie intake.
 
2. Sugar and refined flour: sugar and refined flour may cause an upsurge in blood sugar levels. When there is a spike in your blood sugar levels, the body produces a pro-inflammatory chemical called cytokines to break down the carbohydrates. This results in inflammation, worsening your arthritis symptoms. They also increase your weight, putting more and more pressure on the joints.
 
3. Fried foods: eliminating fried foods from your diet helps in reducing the levels of inflammation. Fried foods increase oxidation in the body's cells due to toxins called advanced glycation endproducts or age. They are high in fat and lead to obesity. Moreover, most restaurants use hydrogenated oils which are rich in trans fats. Trans fats are even more harmful than saturated fats when it comes to inflammation, chronic heart diseases and other health problems.
 
4. Alcohol and tobacco: high intake of alcohol causes a surge in the body levels of crp or c - reactive protein which is a powerful agent of inflammation. The risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis is higher among smokers.
 
5. Processed foods: foods that are ready to eat and require minimal cooking contain several ingredients that cause inflammation. They are loaded with saturated fats, refined flour and sugar and are extremely unhealthy and worsen arthritic pain. 
 
6. Corn oil: many foods, especially baked foods, are cooked in corn oil or other oils which are rich in omega 6 fatty acids and trigger inflammation. Corn oil can be replaced with olive oil that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids which is anti-inflammatory.

Foods To Avoid In Arthritis!

The shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body. Shoulder joints undergo wear and a tear over time and hence become unstable. Shoulder arthritis is one of the painful conditions affecting the shoulder joints. Arthritis not only takes a toll on the tendons and muscles, but also affects the ligaments and joints too. They usually cause symptoms such as joint pain, resulting in limited mobility.

Treatment:

Nonsurgical or Lifestyle treatments:

Take rest or avoid the activities that provoke pain or change the way of your arm movements.
Physical therapy boosts shoulder mobility.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or aspirin alleviate pain and inflammation.
Corticosteroid injections in the shoulders can also help to ease the pain and inflammation, although temporarily.
Applying moist heat or ice packs over the shoulders for about half an hour at least thrice a day brings relief.
Drugs such as methotrexate can be administered in case one is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic disease attacking multiple joints of the body).
Dietary supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine may help reduce pain.
Surgical treatments (if your pain results in disability and does not lessen with nonsurgical options)

Join replacement surgery or arthroplasty involves replacing the damaged parts of the shoulder with a prosthetic (artificial) joint.
Few mild forms of arthritis may be treated using the Arthroscopic procedure (minimally invasive surgery). It requires a surgeon to ease the joint pain by making small incisions to  clean out  the joint. A tiny camera fitted into the joint guides the surgeon through the surgery.
Resection arthroplasty is a method that involves the surgical removal of the bone from the collar bone and substituting it with a scar tissue to treat arthritis of particular joints.

Everything You Need To Know About Shoulder Arthritis Treatment

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. Pain, swelling, and stiffness are the primary symptoms of arthritis. Any joint in the body may be affected by the disease, but it is particularly common in the knee.

Knee arthritis can make it hard to do many everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. It is a major cause of lost work time and a serious disability for many people. There are 2 types of arthritis the knee joint in the human body can get afflicted with. They are:

Osteoarthritis 

The form of arthritis which, with increasing pain, slowly wears down the joint cartilages is called osteoarthritis. This form of arthritis usually affects people after the age 40. The symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

Severe pain in the knee joints
Pain after walking up the stairs and it subsiding once you are on rest
Severe pain after the movement of joints for a long time
Pain that becomes worse in rainy days
Joints becoming stiff after waking up in the morning but they improve in the latter part of the day
Pain which also occurs in the thighs and the genital regions coupled with joints swelling and joints getting stiff after rest.
Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic form of arthritis caused because of the knee joint inflammations. This form of arthritis can occur at any age. Being an auto-immune disease, its symptoms include, but are not limited to:

Severe pain in the morning
Mild fever accompanying the pain
Joints suddenly becoming swollen, red and warm causing, immense pain
Sudden stiffness of the joints
Pain that increases in cold weather
Mild fever, extreme tiredness and weakening of the muscles
Doctors are still doubtful about what exactly causes the disease; but the deformation of the immune system might cause the damage of the joints, causing people who are already suffering from obesity, smokers, and women, in general, more prone to this disease.

When the knee pain is diagnosed as a form of arthritis, the following treatments are suggested:

If you are overweight or obese, losing some of those extra pounds can go a long way in reducing the pain.
Muscle-stretching exercises are effective in keeping the knee joints flexible.
Dry needling, cupping, taping can help to control the pain and keep the joint supported.
Prescribed dosage of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Advil or injections of hyaluronic acid might relieve your pain.
If regular treatments do not work, you might opt for knee-replacement surgery and osteotomy (the process of cutting a bone with the help of surgery) which might better the alignment of the knee by transforming the bone shapes.

Physiotherapy for knee arthritis

Physiotherapy treatment is aimed at improving the symptoms of the disease (i.e. knee pain, swelling, stiffness), and you should begin to notice a positive difference within one or a few physiotherapy sessions. The main goals of physiotherapy for your knee arthritis are:

Reduce your knee pain and inflammation.
Normalise your knee joint range of motion.
Strengthen your knee: esp quadriceps (esp VMO) and hamstrings.
Strengthen your lower limb: calves, hip and pelvis muscles.
Improve your patellofemoral (knee cap) alignment and function.
Normalise your muscle lengths.
Improve your proprioception, agility and balance.
Improve your technique and function eg walking, squatting.

How Physiotherapy Helps To Manage Arthritis?

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