Arthritis: Introduction, Types of Arthritis & Common Symptoms

Arthritis: Introduction, Types of Arthritis & Common Symptoms
| Aug 25, 2022
Diseases

Arthritis as a term does not refer to a single disease; it refers to joint diseases or joint pain, and overall, 100+ diseases and related conditions are registered in medical science. This disease does not affect individuals of a specific age, but people of any age, sex, or race can suffer from this condition. The common symptoms of this disease include pain, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and limited motion in our joints. Some arthritis[1] conditions might also cause permanent damage or changes in our joints. Some medical studies have stated that this disease can also affect our skin, kidneys, lungs, eyes, and heart. 

Introduction: What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a condition that affects our joint areas. This condition usually causes joint degeneration and inflammation along with excessive pain. This term doesn’t describe a single condition but over 100+ different conditions. These conditions are determined by the joint diseases or types of joint pain or inflammation. Although medical science has no antidote for this condition, in recent years, the medication and treatment have improved highly for all severe conditions. It can induce a lot of pain and make your life tough. The symptoms of this disease can vary from day to day and from week to week. Some joint-based types like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are long-term illnesses. It usually affects these areas:

Introduction: What is Arthritis?

The common symptoms of this joint-related disease include pain, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and limited motion in our joints. Some arthritis conditions might also cause permanent damage or changes in our joints. It has affected over 180 million people- a number higher than various well-known diseases like cancer, diabetes, and AIDS. Every year, around 14% of the Indian population complains about joint pain and seek help from their doctors. 

Risk Factor

Various risk factors can cause an individual to suffer from this joint-related disease, including:

Various Risk Factor

●    Weight: obesity causes our body to put extra pressure on our joints, which causes arthritis.

●    Sex: These conditions are more commonly found in women than in men. 

●    Lifestyle: a person who consumes alcohol, smokes a cigarette, and doesn’t work out has more chances of developing this painful disease.

●    Age: Older people have more risk of suffering from this disease than younger people. 

Different Types of Arthritis 

As mentioned above, Arthritis is a term that includes several different types. It’s become very important for us to know which medical condition one is suffering from. There might be a few resemblances between some conditions, but there is also a major difference. 

Osteoarthritis also comprehended as Degenerative Arthritis, is one of the most common joint-related disease types. The cartilage present in our joints slowly breaks down, causing our bones to rub against each other, which causes pain and inflammation, which further leads to bone spur formation and bone injury. Obesity, injuries, age, joint overuse, and family history are a few reasons that can cause osteoarthritis. Some of the familiar symptoms of this condition are:

● Increasing disability

● Morning stiffness

● Lack of coordination

● Joint soreness

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune sickness that causes our body to attack joint tissues. Some of the early symptoms of this condition include joint pain and morning stiffness. One can experience the symptoms of the same joint types on both body sides. This condition can eventually develop joint deformities. One can experience the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis in other parts of the body like the skin, eyes, lungs, and heart.

Along with that, some cases of this health-related ailment have also been reported as the occurrence of Sjogren’s syndrome. In this syndrome, an individual severely suffers from dry mouth and eyes. Few other complications and symptoms include:

● Tingling, warmth, burning, numbness in hands and feet.

● Rheumatoid nodules near joints and under the skin, like elbows, which are hard to the touch and contain inflamed cells. 

● Sleep difficulties. 

Spondyloarthropathies: The most common spondyloarthropathies are known as Ankylosing Spondylitis is also an autoimmune condition in which a body attacks the area where ligaments and tendons are attached to our bones. The early symptoms of this severe medical type include stiffness and pain, mostly in the lower back area. This condition likely affects the spine and pelvis region, but it can also affect other joints in our body.

The ankylosing spondylitis can cause bone fusion which further causes dysfunction of the hip and shoulder joint and can cause spine deformation. This condition is usually caused by heredity. People who suffer from ankylosing spondylitis have HLA-B27 in their genes. Other spondyloarthropathies are also associated with the HLA-B27 gene, and they usually attack our peripheral joints, like those in our feet and hands. Some spondyloarthropathies diseases are:

● Acute anterior uveitis

● Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis

● Enteropathic arthropathy is also associated with the gastrointestinal tract. 

● Reactive arthritis

  • Psoriatic Arthritis: Psoriasis-Arthritis most commonly affects our fingers and other joints. This painful Arthritis condition may make our fingers look sausage-like and cause pitting. It makes our fingers appear pink, sausage-like and pitting our fingernails. It causes similar damage to our spine to that of ankylosing spondylitis. 
  • Reactive And Infectious Arthritis: Reactive arthritis is a condition that is usually triggered when an Infection in our body causes inflammation in the joints and causes immune system dysfunction. This condition often occurs in sexual organs, the bladder, and the gastrointestinal tract. 

This form is an infectious condition type that occurs in one of the joint areas and causes swelling and pain. Such infection can also be caused by fungi, parasites, viruses, and bacteria. This type can start in one part of our body and eventually spread to various joint areas. These types often occur with chills and fever. 

Gout: Gout is an arthritis type that is usually caused when urate crystals start accumulating inside a joint. The risk of gout starts when the level of uric acids rises in our bloodstreams. Alcohol, family history, and age are a few reasons which can develop the risk of gout. This painful type most likely affects our big toe and other joint areas. One can experience pain, swelling, and redness in their:

  • Wrists
  • Hands
  • Knees
  • Toes
  • Ankles
  • Feet

Gout can come with a strong acute attack within a few hours and can last for a few days or sometimes even weeks. With time this arthritis type can become more severe if left untreated. 

What Causes Arthritis?

As we already know, different types have different symptoms and causes. For example, gout arthritis is caused when too much uric acid starts accumulating in our bodies. But when we talk about other conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more, the exact reason or causes are still unknown. One can suffer from this disease if they:

● Suffer from certain infections or autoimmune diseases.

● Comes from a family with a long history of this joint-related disease.

● indulges in a sport or has a job that puts lots of stress on his joints. 

Common Symptoms

Different types of medical conditions pertaining to this joint-related disease have different symptoms. Some people can experience mild symptoms, whereas some can experience severe symptoms. Joint inflammation and pain can last for a few days in some people, and for some, it can last for a time frame of weeks and even months. Listed below are some common symptoms:

● Stiffness

● Redness

● Pain

● Swelling 

● Warmth

● Tenderness

Treatment

Medical Science has no complete cure for arthritis, but over the years, the medication has improved so much that it can help in managing and controlling the condition. Its treatment depends upon the severity, symptoms, and health. 

Both surgical and nonsurgical treatments are helpful. Some non-surgical (conservative) medication includes:

●    Physical Therapy: physical therapy is one of the effective non-surgical treatments. Rehabilitation courses help in improving overall mobility, strength, and range of motion. The physiotherapist helps us understand our daily activities to reduce our joint pain. 

●     Medication: Painkillers and anti-inflammatory help in relieving our symptoms. Some medicines like biologics treat our inflammatory response and strengthen our immune system. Our doctors usually recommend biologics for psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis. 

●    Therapeutic Injection: Therapeutic Injection such as cortisone shots helps in temporarily relieving inflammation and pain in our joints. Certain joints, such as knees, can be improved with viscosupplementation. In this treatment, a type of lubricant is injected, which helps our joints in moving smoothly and reduces Inflammation. 

Doctors usually recommend surgical treatment for severe cases. There are certain cases in which there has been no improvement after medical treatments; surgical treatment has shown wonders in those cases. Some surgical options are:

●    Joint Replacement: In joint replacement, the affected joint is replaced, and an artificial joint is placed instead. These surgical treatments help in preserving joint movement and functions. There are various joint replacement surgeries like shoulder replacement, knee replacement, hip replacement, and ankle replacement. 

●    Fusion: In this surgical treatment, two and more bones are fused permanently. Fusion treatment helps in immobilizing a joint area and also reduces Inflammation and pain caused by joint movement. 

SwadeshiVIP Helps in Preventing Arthritis:

SwadeshiVIP A2 cow milk is an A2 brand that offers 100% organic and pure A2 milk products. Desi cows like Sahiwal and Gir produce SwadeshiVIP A2 cow milk. Our desi cows are fed naturally grown fodder and grasses with no added chemical that leads them to produce 100% unadulterated milk type. 

SwadeshiVIP A2 cow milk protects and strengthens our bones and joints. One must consume a glass of A2 cow milk every day to strengthen their bones and joints. SwadeshiVIP A2 cow milk contains a good amount of minerals like calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for strengthening and maintaining overall bone health. Our A2 milk helps strengthen and maintain bone health in adults and children and reduces the risk of this joint-related disease. Consuming A2 milk has proven to be beneficial for individuals suffering from gout. Studies have found that regular milk consumption can help reduce the risk of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Significant consumption of A2 cow milk helps reduce the accumulation of uric acid in our bloodstreams, eliminating the risk of gout. Not only that, the presence of vitamins in the A2 milk type strengthens our immune system, cell, and tissues in our body. These vitamins protect and strengthen the ligament and tendons between our joints, eliminating the risk of various medical types and controlling the symptoms. So, adding a glass of SwadeshiVIP A2 milk is a must if you want to control and eliminate the risk of this disease and its painful effects. 

Conclusion

The arthritis conditions are determined by the joint diseases or types of joint pain or inflammation. Although medical science has no proven therapy for this condition, in recent years, the medication and treatment have improved highly for all arthritis conditions. With non-surgical and surgical treatment, doctors also recommend making certain lifestyle changes that can help in managing and controlling various conditions. One of such lifestyle changes is adding Swadeshi VIP A2 cow milk to our everyday diet. Our milk contains necessary vitamins and minerals, which are essential in maintaining and strengthening overall bone and joint health. 

Read Our Article: 5 Proven Health Benefits of the A2 Cow Milk for Senior Citizens

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