Dr. Kumarswami Dussa

Skin is one of the most obvious parts of our body, which ages with an increase in the number of candles on our birthday cake. As you age, joints tend to become stiffer and less flexible. The body does not recover from bumps and bruises as easily as it did before, and it becomes difficult to stand for extended time intervals. This is caused mostly by a breakdown of cartilage and inflammation of the synovium.

What is cartilage?
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue. It connects the ends of two bones in a joint. It is softer than bone tissue but less flexible than muscle tissue. Cartilage is responsible for the smooth movement of joints. 
With age, cartilage begins to degenerate. As the cartilage gets thinner, movement becomes more and more difficult. If left untreated, the cartilage may completely wear off leaving no buffer between the bones. This is one of the leading causes of knee replacement surgery. 

What is synovium?
Synovium is a membrane responsible for keeping the cartilage healthy. It produces a thick fluid that keeps the cartilage and joint lubricated. In cases of osteoarthritis, this membrane can swell up and produce excess fluid. This in turn causes the joint to swell as well. 

Along with age, factors like being overweight, genetics, gender and lifestyle also play a role in the condition of your joints. Being obese point towards a sedentary lifestyle and puts extra pressure on joints, leading to the thinning of cartilage. While men have higher chances of becoming osteoarthritis patients before 45, women have higher chances of developing this disease after 50. A healthy lifestyle is the easiest way to ensure that your joints work well even when you're old and grey. 

Exercise
Movement of the joints keeps the fluid in them moving. It also prevents the cartilage from shrinking and stiffening up. Exercise also makes the bones stronger, and slows the rate of bone tissue deterioration. Stretching exercises are also a good way to maintain the flexibility of joints. 

Healthy diet
Foods that are known as natural antihistamines, antioxidants and foods that fight inflammation promote healthy joints. Some of these are:

1. Green tea: It prevents the breakdown of collagen and cartilage
2. Nuts and seeds: These are rich in omega 3 fats that are essential for good bone health
3. Ginger: It relieves pain and joint swelling
4. Yogurt: It helps soothe tender joints and fights inflammation
5. Pomegranate: It protects the cartilage against damage

Hot and cold therapy can also help relieve joint pain and reduce inflammation. As you get older, avoid putting too much pressure on your joints and give them adequate rest. Lastly, avoid smoking, as people who smoke have an increased risk of cartilage loss.

Related Tip: "How Homeopathy Can Cure Muscle and Joint Pain?"

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:

1. Take rest or avoid the activities that provoke pain or change the way of your arm movements.
2. Physical therapy boosts shoulder mobility.
3. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or aspirin alleviate pain and inflammation.
4. Corticosteroid injections in the shoulders can also help to ease the pain and inflammation, although temporarily.
5. Applying moist heat or ice packs over the shoulders for about half an hour at least thrice a day brings relief.
6. Drugs such as methotrexate can be administered in case one is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic disease attacking multiple joints of the body).
7. 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)

1. Join replacement surgery or arthroplasty involves replacing the damaged parts of the shoulder with a prosthetic (artificial) joint.
2. 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.
3. 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. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an orthopedist.