Arthritis is one of the major causes of disability in elderly individuals. It need not be so, because with timely medical intervention, lifestyle modification, and physical therapy, progression of arthritis can be decreased, even though it cannot be completely cured. Immediate family members have a big role to play in this scenario. Preventing arthritic people to move around (of course, out of concern and love) is not a good thing. This will only affect the person physically and emotionally. Let's learn about arthritis a little more to deal with it more effectively.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a degenerative disease that primarily affects the joints. The term arthritis derives from the Greek word "anthron" which means a joint and "itis" means inflammation. Arthritis causes inflammation to the joints, which causes pain and immobility. Although arthritis generally sets in after 50 years of age, some forms of arthritis affects people at much younger age.
Causes of Arthritis
Although it is difficult to point out what causes arthritis, there are many risk factors that could lead to arthritis such as:
- Wear and tear of the cartilage with age
- Excess weight
- Previous injury
- High-impact sports
- Infection
- Hereditary factors
- Auto immune factors
Types of Arthritis
Arthritis can be of different types, the most common one being osteoarthritis.
- Osteoarthritis: Cartilages are the shock absorbers of our joints. However, owing to continuous wear and tear, the cartilage loses its elasticity and becomes stiff. Due to the damage caused to the cartilage, the tendons and ligaments become stretched and causes pain at the joint. Later, if untreated, the bones begin to rub against each other causing very severe pain. This condition is called osteoarthritis.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: This is an inflammatory form of arthritis, most common in women than men and sets in between 40 to 60 years of age. The synovial membrane is affected, resulting in pain and swelling. If untreated, it may lead to deformity. In this type of arthritis, other organs may also be affected, such as the connective tissue, heart, lungs, nerves, and eyes.
- Infectious Arthritis (Septic Arthritis): This is caused by the infection in the synovial fluid and tissues of a joint. This happens when infectious germ (it could be bacteria, fungi, or viruses) is transported from some other location to the joint through the bloodstream. People who already have some form of arthritis are more susceptible to develop infectious arthritis.
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA): This affects children aged 16 or less. There are basically 3 types of JRA; systemic JRA, oligoarticular JRA, and polyarticular JRA.
Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis
The signs and symptoms could vary with the type of arthritis:
- Osteoarthritis: The common symptoms are pain and stiffness in the joints especially during mornings. Hard lumps or bone spurs may appear around the joints. The most common affected areas are hips, hands, knees, and spine.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Joints become swollen, inflamed, and stiff. They will be very tender to the touch. Overwhelming fatigue and loss of appetite is also experienced. Hands may be red and puffy. Bumps of tissues may be seen under the skin of the arms. Commonly affected areas are fingers, arms, legs, and wrists. Weight loss is also experienced.
- Infectious Arthritis: Usual symptoms are fever, joint inflammation and swelling. Other illness or injury will precede these symptoms. Most common affected areas are knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Usually, only one joint is affected at a time.
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Intermittent fever, which tends to peak during evening and then disappear. Loss of appetite and loss of weight is seen. Anemia in this case is very common. Blotchy rashes can be seen on the arms and the legs. The affected areas like wrists, fingers, and knees become swollen that lasts for a long time.
Role of Physical and Occupational Therapies
As arthritis cannot be cured completely, pain management and improvement of the range of motion are the next best options. Physical therapists and occupational therapists play a huge role in this respect.
- Physical Therapy: A physical therapist teaches an arthritic person to work out a joint without further damaging it. Various physical therapy equipments help the patient gain more range of motion and strength in their muscles surrounding the affected joints. Physical therapists teach the patients how to move from one point to the next without causing much pain. This could involve walking aids, such as crutches, cane, or walker.
- Occupational Therapy: An occupational therapist teaches the patient how to reduce strain on the joints and carry on with the daily activities. Sometimes, this involves modifying the home and work place in such a way that the movements do not aggravate their arthritis.
Physical and occupational therapists make a huge difference to the quality of life of an arthritic person. This increases their confidence level and results in better management of their condition. These specialists also advice them on their diet, the kind of shoes they should wear, and help them take better decisions. This also proves of great help to the family members, who normally feel very helpless and seem clueless how to help the arthritic person.
Medications for Arthritis
Based on the type of arthritis, doctors prescribe certain drugs such as:
- NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
- COX-2 inhibitors (cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors)
- Salicylates
Other treatments like placing ice cubes or heating pads on the affected area; ultrasound; warm baths; etc., relieve localized pain and relaxes the muscle spasms around the affected joints.
Impact of Diet and Body Weight on Arthritis
Losing weight, avoiding certain foods, and enriching your diet with certain foods have a positive impact on the improvement of arthritis.
- Diet Modification: Avoid red meat, cream, and cheese. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Enrich your diet with foods like oily fish, flaxseed, herring, trout, and salmon which are rich source of omega 3 fatty acids.
- Body Weight Control: Being overweight puts extra pressure on the weight-bearing joints. Therefore, losing weight brings a significant difference in curing arthritis. Although rigorous exercises are out of question, some low impact aerobic exercises like aquatic exercises can be done. Apart from this, controlling portion sizes and choosing healthier options in food are highly recommended for arthritic people. Regular walking should be undertaken if your condition permits this.
While supporting an arthritic person is a good thing, making everything required by an arthritic person on their bedside may not be a good idea. Allowing them to move around will not only help them physically, but emotionally as well. After all, who likes the idea of being dependant on anybody else?
