Massage for Arthritis
Massaging is the age old therapy for arthritis which in the recent past has been revived as an effective way for pain relief for arthritic patients. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote that doctors should be experienced in “rubbing that can bind a joint that is loose and loosen a joint that is too hard.” Today, massage is still a popular way to manage arthritis pain. Proponents claim that however massaging has to be done wisely and under trained supervision and make sure the massage therapist has experience working with people who have arthritis. Read more
Natural Cure for Arthritis
As you age, arthritis dogs your footsteps and if you are not careful it could cripple you mentally and physically. The joints are usually affected especially the knees and elbows. Synovial fluid is the name given to the lubricant present in the joints and the cartilage is the special tissue, which absorbs shocks and ensures that the ends of the bones are protected. Read more
Knee Arthritis – Symptoms and Treatment
Knee arthritis is common in older people, and it is as much as anything a mechanical wearing out. We are reasonably sure that exercise early in life is not particularly related to knee arthritis, but being overweight may be, because of the extra load excess weight puts on the knee joint, and there is some evidence, from the Framingham study, for instance, that weight loss should reduce arthritic knee symptoms. Until now what has been lacking is a good randomised trial of the effects of weight reduction on patients with knee arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of knee arthritis. Also called wear-and-tear arthritis or degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis is characterized by progressive wearing away of the cartilage of the joint. As the protective cartilage is worn away by knee arthritis, bare bone is exposed within the joint.
Someone who has arthritis in the knee may experience pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. A common symptom is morning stiffness that lessens as the person moves around. Sometimes the joint locks or clicks when the knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may occur in other knee disorders as well. The doctor may confirm the diagnosis by performing a physical examination and examining x rays, which typically show a loss of joint space.
Symptoms
Popping
Popping and snapping within the knee is quite common, and often not a symptom of any particular problem. When the pops or snaps are painless, there is usually no problem–the bigger concern is when these sounds are associated with pain. A pop is often heard or felt when a ligament, such as the ACL, is torn.
Treating Knee Arthritis without Surgery
Weight loss will probably decrease your pain if you are greatly overweight. But weight reduction alone is unlikely to completely relieve the pain. Obesity also makes the knee operation more difficult, and complications occur more frequently in overweight people. Dr. Huddleston realizes that it can be very difficult to lose weight when you are not very active because of your knee pain. Do the best you can!
Physical Therapy
Strengthening of the muscles around the knee joint may help decrease the burden on the knee. Preventing atrophy of the muscles is an important part of maintaining functional use of the knee.
Real acupuncture came out on top in the first survey. Patients getting real acupuncture had bigger improvements in knee pain and function than the other two groups. Those receiving real acupuncture treatment reported significantly lower scores on pain and disability compared with participants in the other groups.
Exercise Program –A specific exercise program can help to maintain healthy cartilage and range of motion of the joint. In addition, keeping the attaching muscles and tendons conditioned and strong will aid in the joint’s stability.
How to Treat Gout with Diet and Medication
Gout is a condition in which uric acid, a waste product that occurs naturally occurring within the body, rises above normal levels. Rather than being flushed by the kidneys and through the urine, as it normally is, it forms crystals and deposits in the joints. These deposits give rise to inflammation of the joints, causing pain, swelling, redness and tenderness of the area. Read more
Ways to Manage Your Arthritis Pain
A number of different specialists may be involved in the care of an arthritis patient—often a team approach is used. The team may include doctors who treat people with arthritis (rheumatologists), surgeons (orthopaedists), and physical and occupational therapists. Their goal is to treat all aspects of arthritis pain and help you learn to manage your pain. The physician, other health care professionals, and you, the patient, all play an active role in the management of arthritis pain. Read more
Fruits and Vegetables May Cut Arthritis Risk and Reduce Inflammation
Certain carotenoids, compounds commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, appear to be responsible. The findings from previous studies have suggested that dietary carotenoids, the chemicals responsible for the orange and yellow colouring of fruits and vegetables, can reduce inflammation through anti-oxidant effects. Read more
Diagnosis of Arthritis
Arthritis is a chronic condition associated with many myths and misconceptions.The onset of the disease is often confusing. It can begin with the well-defined symptoms of arthritis (redness, swelling, stiffness, and pain in one or more joints) or, it can be more subtle, allowing more vague symptoms to cloud the diagnosis. It can be mild at first or it can be severe and aggressive. Read more
How Do Arthritis Patients Perceive Exercise?
Stiffness of the joints is a major symptom in any type of arthritis and particularly in RA. Frequently, RA is accompanied by “morning stiffness.” Other inflammatory conditions, such as polymyalgia rheumatica and ankylosing spondylitis, also may be accompanied by morning stiffness. The severity of stiffness may better differentiate a primary inflammatory process from other joint processes. Edema of the synovium and periarticular structures contributes to stiffness in RA by mechanically interfering with the usual biomechanics of the joint.
How Do Arthritis Patients Perceive Exercise?
Regular exercise and weight control is the route to better health. That’s common advice for the general population. For people with arthritis, exercise can exacerbate pain. Gentle, range-of-motion exercise helps arthritis but it doesn’t burn enough calories to lose weight. Is there advice with regard to weight loss for people with arthritis, living a sedentary lifestyle? How can arthritis patients lose weight when exercise triggers more pain?
To identify the perceived barriers to and benefits of exercise among people with arthritis, 68 people with arthritis were divided into 12 focus groups. To help participants feel more comfortable and willing to talk openly, the groups were segmented by exercise status, socioeconomic status, and race. Each focus group came together and discussed their perceptions of exercise, as well as their experiences. Each discussion was transcribed and coded by two people.
Exercise Advice for All People
In the general population, weight loss has been shown to lower blood sugar and cholesterol, decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. In the arthritis patient, weight loss is the most important way to decrease the risk of osteoarthritis in the knees and hips. While exercise is an important aspect of weight control, diet (i.e. watching calories and fat intake) is the most important factor.
Physical activity is essential to optimizing both physical and mental health and can play a vital role in the management of arthritis. Regular physical activity can keep the muscles around affected joints strong, decrease bone loss and may help control joint swelling and pain. Regular activity replenishes lubrication to the cartilage of the joint and reduces stiffness and pain.
Pain was the most commonly mentioned barrier to exercise and limited exercise participation for nonexercisers and insufficiently active individuals. Paradoxically, insufficiently active individuals also identified exercise-related reductions in pain as a potential motivation for increasing exercise. Likewise, exercise-related reductions in pain were a motivation to continue exercising for the exerciser groups. Non exercisers expressed that a reduction in pain was a possible outcome of exercise but were skeptical of its occurrence. Receiving tailored advice from a health care provider was consistently identified as an exercise enabler across the groups.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – Causes, Medication and Prevention
Arthritis, the term used to describe the inflammation and swelling of the cartilage and lining of the joints, is generally accompanied by an increase in joint fluid, and certainly affects the lower part of your body, making the normal activities of walking and moving very difficult. Read more
Safe and Natural Cures for Arthritis Pain Relief
Ginger is a fantastic herb. It has been used for the treatment of many aliments. Studies show it is very beneficial in relieving arthritis. Its anti-inflammatory properties make it a well know arthritis treatment. Ginger contains zingibain, a special proteolytic* enzyme. Research shows that proteolytic enzymes have anti-inflammatory properties. Taken as a tincture, capsule, as a tea or fresh, it does not have any reported side effects to high dosages. A dish prepared with ginger will actually give you a medicinal dose of the herb. Read more
