GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING OSTEOARTHRITIS

     Creaky joints – the malady of old age. This is a sure sign that we can never run against father time. Stiff and painful joints are one of the most common complaints of aging people coupled with forgetfulness, wrinkles, and lack of energy. Yet you’ll be surprised to know that this pain and suffering is preventable, if not entirely avoidable.

Let us dive deep to discuss this all-too-common serious health situation called osteoarthritis. In this article, you can get valuable insights and ideas on how to make your life easier and your days better if you are suffering from this condition.

Osteoarthritis Facts

Are you suffering from joint pain and stiffness? Do you find it hard to move and be active aging is finally creeping up in your body?  The reason behind this pain is worth your attention. Here are interesting titbits of information about osteoarthritis:

●      Most people think of arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone density problems as an “old person’s” condition, but it can affect many younger people, even athletes, causing pain and limitation of activity.

●      Osteoarthritis occurs when the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint has been damaged or wears down over time.

●      Osteoarthritis affects only joints and does not affect the internal organs.

●      It can be because of aging changes in the bone, heredity, and injury from trauma or disease.

·         Osteoarthritis affects joints in your hands, knees, hips, and spine.

●      Symptoms vary significantly, depending on how severe they are and which joints are affected.

●      Ultimate treatment plan goals and objectives of osteoarthritis are to reduce joint pain and inflammation while improving and maintaining joint function.

●      Though some of the joint changes are irreversible, most patients will not need joint replacement surgery.

●      The damage of osteoarthritis is irreversible, but experts are trying to find ways to slow this joint damage.

●      Your diet and lifestyle during your younger years will contribute to osteoarthritis as you go older.

 

What is Osteoarthritis?

 Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder. It likely begins with the breakdown of articular cartilage, an active material that cushions and protects the bone ends. Cartilage allows bones to smoothly glide over one another and effectively absorb the shock of physical movement.

  Friction in the joint causes pain, swelling, and decreased range of motion. Sometimes small deposits of bone, known as osteophytes, start to grow at the edge of the joint. If these osteophytes break off and float into the joint space, they can cause more pain and damage.

 Types of Osteoarthritis

OA (Osteoarthritis) is classed as either primary or as secondary to a diagnosed cause. There’s not much of a difference in signs and symptoms, but there is a difference in what causes the cartilage to break down in the first place.

·    Primary Osteoarthritis (OA) or idiopathic

It tends to develop starting from the age of 55 or 60, due to aging “wear and tear” over time.

·   Secondary Osteoarthritis (OA)

This type of osteoarthritis occurs with a specific cause, such as:

ü Injury- If you fracture a bone in an accident

ü An effect of obesity -every extra pound you gain adds pressure to your joints

ü Genetics - if osteoarthritis seems to run in your family

ü Inactivity - if you’re inactive, you tend to develop weaker muscles and tendons that surround the joint

ü Caused by another disease – infection

 Causes of Osteoarthritis

Joints consist of natural shock absorbers known as cartilage. The cartilage cushions the end of the bones deteriorates and reduces friction in healthy joints.

The cartilage breakdown because it does not have its blood supply as it relies on the synovial fluid to provide nourishment. Inadequate nutrition may be a factor in the development of arthritic changes. Inflammation and injury are causing the breaking down of cartilage tissues to the common resulting in swelling, pain, limited movements of the joints, and deformity of the joint.

 Risk Factors

 There are risk factors that you cannot control in developing osteoarthritis.

1.    Aging

2.    Other hereditary disorders

3.    Obesity

4.    Fracture around the joint.

5.    Gender. Over the age of 50, women are more to develop osteoarthritis than men.

6.    Genetic defect or joint abnormality that makes them more vulnerable.

Symptoms and Signs

Symptoms appear gradually. It typically starts after age 40 and gets worse over time with slow progression. The joint may lose its regular shape.

Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

○        swollen joints,

○        joint stiffness,

○         pain

○        joint creaking, and

○        loss of function

○        deformity

○        instability

Diagnosis

No single test can diagnose osteoarthritis. Most rheumatologists use several methods, including medical history, a physical exam, x-rays, or lab tests.

Blood tests are performed to exclude Infectious diseases that can cause secondary osteoarthritis, as well as to eliminate other arthritis conditions that can mimic osteoarthritis.

When to see a doctor

If you have joint pain or stiffness that doesn't go away, better make an appointment with your doctor. Don’t attempt to self-medicate as most pain medications offer nothing but temporary pain relief.

Too many pain medications taken over the course of your life can also negatively affect your kidneys. It’s better to go right through the root cause of your pain by modifying your lifestyle and nutrition. This is better than “Band-Aid” pain pills relief.

 Treatment

 At present, no remedy could stop the erosion of cartilage in its joints but there are supplements that can help you to manage your pain and swelling.  It will likely get worse over time, but the symptoms can be managed. There are ways to reduce pain and to improve and strengthen the muscles around the affected joints.

     Doctors prescribe medicines to eliminate or. Procedures differ from the use of alternative medicine such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, and more.

    Exercise, diet, lifestyle changes, physical therapy exercises, and physical aids such as canes or braces that provide support and alignment may reduce joint pain. Treatments sometimes include surgical intervention if the symptoms don't improve.

Osteoarthritis is currently a significant public health problem. There are no highly effective pharmaceutical treatments that exist to cure osteoarthritis, and surgical options are expensive and not widely available.

    However, osteoarthritis is a manageable disease. A vital strategy in addressing the disease burden of osteoarthritis is prevention.  Preventing injuries is also important to ward off osteoarthritis. Ask your doctor about lifestyle management tips that are specific to your OA needs. At present clinicians manage patients with a combination of methods. So, if you are suffering from osteoarthritis, there's hope.

LYME DISEASE

                                         

 If you’ve spent any time outdoors, you’ve likely encountered ticks at some point. Ticks usually attach to animals, but sometimes they may bite you too. Ticks can spread diseases, including Lyme disease. Lyme disease is weird, and mysterious and could be a stubborn disease.

    Celebrity musician and pop singer Avril Lavigne had even been diagnosed with Lyme disease. She has been following a severe battle with the disease. Lavigne revealed and opened up in news interviews about her symptoms, treatment, recovery, and health.

 How does Lyme disease spread?

 

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that affects any organ of the body, muscles, and joints including the brain and nervous system, and heart.

 Lyme disease emerged over the past three decades in the majority of Asia, North America, and Europe, especially in areas associated with woodland habitats and green space.

 Ticks are the leading carriers of Lyme disease. Ticks are small, blood-sucking bugs. They can change in size from as tiny as a pin’s head to as large as a marble. They can transmit the disease to human hosts. Ticks get infected when they feed on small rodents are reservoirs for the bacteria and spread to humans typically by nymphs (immature ticks). Those working in and visiting tick areas are most at risk of acquiring the infection.

 The risk of Lyme Disease multiplies during the summer when ticks are aggressive, but they can be found year-round in areas where temperatures are cold.

 What are the symptoms?

 Most of the people who are bitten by a Lyme-carrying tick don't realize that infected immediately. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is transferred to humans by its bite. Lyme disease causes different symptoms, and it usually starts within several days to a few weeks after a tick bite, illness with several symptoms like a red expanding rash (known as erythema migrans), a headache, weakness, chills, flu-like symptoms, fever, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. The patient will eventually lose their ability to walk independently

 As soon as you notice its rash and other possible symptoms, consult your healthcare provider.

 Diagnosis

Diagnosing and treating the disease is difficult. Doctors base a diagnosis of Lyme disease on a careful and detailed history and a complete physical examination supported by laboratory testing when appropriate.

If diagnosed early, Lyme disease patients will be prescribed antibiotics and may recover thoroughly. But sometimes it will take years to diagnose, by which point, the disease may have caused permanent neurological or cardiac damage.

Treatments

    Lyme disease is often treated effectively with oral antibiotics, but a small number of patients require intravenous antibiotic therapy. Neurologic-related symptoms may also need intravenous therapy.

    The good news is once a person is healed, they are no longer infected. However, it can take months, and sometimes years, before you feel entirely well.

    Bad news: is that there is no immunity. You could very quickly get Lyme disease again if you get bitten by another tick. So, you better be aware.

     Lyme disease is a big deal. What’s important is to seek your doctor’s expert advice as soon as you suspect a tick bite anywhere in your body. 

 

DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE

                                         

Have you been told you have degenerative disc disease? Do you know what it is?

Disc degeneration is the primary cause of disability, especially in older people. Sufferers understand how painful it is. Every movement seems to make it worse.

 What is Degenerative Discs Disease?

    Degenerative Discs Disease, known as DDD, is one of the most misunderstood causes of low back and neck pain. Most people over 30 are already had some degree of DDD but do not show or cause distress or any other symptoms. However, as the discs degenerate, the possibility of those problems becomes greater. Degenerative Discs Disease is usually just a result of normal wear and tears on the spine over time. However, injuries can hasten the degeneration. DDD varies in its nature and severity.

 Causes of Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative Disc Disease can affect in any part of the spine. It mostly happens in the cervical Spine or Lumbar Spine. Aging causes the discs to lose fluid. They will then collapse and sometimes crack. That’s because our body’s capacity to repair itself becomes weak.

As we grow older the disc dries out and doesn't absorb shocks as well; it reduces the space between the vertebrae; it affects the structure of our spine. This is why some people become shorter as they age.

Another cause is Injuries which can cause swelling, soreness, and instability, and can result in low back pain.

 Symptoms of Degenerative Disk Disease

     Degenerative disc disease often causes no symptoms at the onset. However, when symptoms happen, it occasionally intensifies for a few days or more. It includes pain that comes and goes and can be severe.

     A person can feel the pain anywhere from the neck down to the legs, and it gets worse when bending over, sitting, twisting, lift anything.  Other symptoms also stay the same over time.

When to see a doctor

If DDD symptoms such as fever with back pain, bowel/ or bladder dysfunction, unexplained and fast weight loss, or severe stomach pain occur and become persistent – see a doctor immediately. These symptoms are suggestive of more severe conditions and should receive immediate medical attention.

 Treatment

The treatment focuses on minimizing pain, stabilizing the spine, and improving or even maintaining the ability to move our body.

The surgical procedure is not necessary for treating degenerative disc disease but is somehow recommended if the spine is unstable or when pain cannot be relieved by other means.

 For many people suffering from this disease, changing positions, walking, and running can help ease the pain. The most effective way is to lay down because this removes all the weight and pressure from the problem area.

 Prevention

     There are cases of advanced degeneration which, in some instances, can become real problems, but it does not cover all people with such a condition. Combinations of pain management techniques, physical therapy, and some skills to control the symptoms will greatly help.

     Learning more about DDD is very important. The more you learn, the more you can manage and less fear it. No matter what severe pain we are facing, taking the right measures is the only solution. We can’t let anxiety rule our life, we need to be courageous enough to look for the best treatment.

 

 

 

BURSITIS

                                             

Are you experiencing radiating pain in your shoulders, knee, elbow, and hip? Do you notice tenderness when you press around that joint? If you do, maybe you are suffering from bursitis.

Bursitis is a common medical problem. It causes pain in the bone, joint, and muscle aches, most often in the knees, shoulders, elbows, and hips. It is a disorder that can make everyday activities seem like a chore.

 Bursitis Facts

●     Overuse or too much physical activity of the muscles can lead to bursitis. It will flare up for no known reason. It may occur at the knee or elbow, from kneeling or leaning on the elbows longer than usual on a hard surface.

●     The danger signs of bursitis are worsening of pain, redness, swelling, or sudden inability to move a joint.

●     Bursitis could last from a few days to several weeks.

●     Rest, ice, compression, and elevation is an immediate treatment for bursitis.

●     Another option the doctor does is to remove the test fluid from the inflamed area. They also prescribe antibiotics in the case of infection caused by bursitis.

What is Bursitis?

The condition is known as bursitis when there are inflammation and swelling of the bursa. It becomes infected, traumatized, or injured. The human body has over 150 bursae. Bursa is a fluid-filled sac or saclike cavity, especially one countering friction at a joint. It helps joints move more by allowing muscles and tendons to glide over bone and others. This is your body’s shock absorber so the speak.

 Types of bursitis

Bursitis occurs anywhere in the body where bursae are located. When a person has bursitis or inflammation of the bursa, any movement or pressure is usually painful.

●     Anterior Achilles tendon bursitis - This type of bursitis has symptoms such as swelling, pain, warmth, and a soft spot at the back of the heel.

●     Posterior Achilles tendon bursitis - It is also called Haglund's deformity in between the skin of the heel and the Achilles tendon.

●     Hip Bursitis - It is usually the result of injury, arthritis, overuse, spinal abnormalities, and surgery. This type of bursitis is particular among women, middle-aged, and older people.

●     Elbow bursitis - Constant pressure the inflammation between the skin and bones elbow cause of pain.

●      Knee bursitis - It is also known as goosefoot bursitis; Pes Anserine bursitis occurs in the knee. The inflammation of a small fluid-filled sac (bursa) situated near your knee joint.

●     Kneecap bursitis - People to suffer from this type of bursitis are those who sit on their knees a lot, plumbers, and carpet layers.

Causes of Bursitis

● Injury - The tissue inside the bursa is the common cause of inflammation.

● Overuse of joints, tendons, or muscles near the bursa.

● Infection - Bursitis caused by an infected cut on the skin. Such as those near the elbow, where the bacteria have the opportunity to get in, tend to be in bursae.

● Health conditions Illnesses that exacerbate bursitis include gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma.

 Symptoms and Signs

Bursitis can have the following symptoms:

1.  Pain that increases that leaves you unable to move

2.  There's a sign of tenderness, swelling, redness, fever, and redness.

3.  The feeling of hotness in the affected area and the affected when touched.

4.  If an infection causes bursitis, we called it septic bursitis.

Diagnosis

A doctor will begin by first reviewing a person's medical history and symptoms.

A physical exam must do to cut the possibility of a more severe condition.

There will be a need for more tests and studies to check for abnormalities associated with the bursa.

 Tests include:

·         X-ray, for broken or fractured bones

·         Blood tests, to assess for rheumatoid arthritis

·         A CT scan or MRI to see if there is a torn tendon.

 Bursitis Treatment

Some of the methods used to treat bursitis include the following:

● Nutritional therapy

As emphasized by naturopaths and nutritionists, diet is the underlying cause of bursitis. The leading cause is the incorrect use of calcium by the body, food allergies, and magnesium.

 Herbal therapy

Herbs or plant products are also useful for the treatment of bursitis. The following include:

·   Curcumin (turmeric)

·   Bromelain (an enzyme found in pineapple)

·   Ginger

·   Grape-seed extract

·   Pine-bark extract

·   Citrus bioflavonoids

● Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies for bursitis include Belladonna, Bryonies, and Rhus Toxicodendron.

● Cold Therapy

The application of ice after an injury helps decrease the inflammation of acute bursitis.

● Acupuncture

Proven effective in treating bursitis, especially on the painful shoulder and hip.

● Chiropractic

Spinal manipulation, a chiropractor of the pressure in the affected joints. May help relieve and improve the movement.

● Massage

  Massage can also relieve localized pain and inflammation in the affected area.

● Allopathic treatment

Conservative treatment of bursitis is usually adequate.

● Corticosteroid injection may also be done for severe pain.

● Heat Therapy Apply a heating pad, or cooling pads to reduce inflammation and to help manage pain in the affected area,

● Physical therapy exercises are helpful to improve motion and strengthen the muscles.

● Surgery Invasive techniques can be done through the removal of their bursa if the symptoms have not yet improved within 12 months.  

Prevention

The following tips are recommended for preventing bursitis:

❏  Protect vulnerable parts of the body.

❏  Warm up or stretch before physical activity. It is good to warm up for at least 5 to 10 minutes before vigorous exercise.

❏   Maintain a healthy weight. Being obese or overweight puts extra stress on the joints which causes pain.

❏     Practice good posture and position the body when going about your daily activities.

 It is an excellent idea to visit a doctor to check out other causes of your pain. Differentiating between non-infected and infected bursitis is important to avoid it from becoming a debilitating and severe condition.

 

 

ARTHRITIS SYMPTOMS

We hear the word arthritis all the time.  Millions of people suffer pain and disability from arthritis and its complications. Most people accept joint pain as a part of aging. As age increases, joint pain and limitation of movement intensify.

A person may get joint pain due to various reasons such as getting sprains, prolonged sitting, standing in one position for long hours, joint inflammation due to diet, and aging. More and more people require joint pain relief due to this condition.

 Arthritis Symptoms

 ·         Fatigue. Osteoarthritis is related to some fatigue. For some people with arthritis, chronic fatigue can be more debilitating than the painful, swollen joints associated with the disease. Fatigue is an intense feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, and lack of energy. It is the most challenging symptom to live with and treat. Inflammatory disease, lifestyle habits, and medication side effects are the primary cause of cause drowsiness or fatigue. It is a very unpleasant companion to patients with osteoarthritis. It affects your sleep habits, which adds to your exhaustion. Being fatigued, in turn, can worsen pain and make it more difficult to manage.

 ·         Pain in the joints. Joints are the parts of your body that allows the bones of your skeleton to move. Joint pain can be widespread with arthritis. Shoulder pain, ankle pain, and knee pain can be apparent. Joint pain is usually worse after waking in the morning or after a period of rest.  Pain tends to develop and worsen over several weeks or months.

 ·         The growth of bony knobs on finger joints. This bone deformity is referred to as Heberden's node, named after a very famous British doctor. The skeletal deformity is a result of the bone spurs from the osteoarthritis in that joint. Another familiar bony knob (node) occurs at the middle joint of the fingers in many patients with osteoarthritis and is called a Bouchard's node. Dr. Bouchard was a famous French doctor who also studied arthritis patients at the turn of the last century. The Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes may not be painful, but they are often associated with the limitation of motion of the joint. The characteristic appearances of these finger nodes can be helpful in diagnosing osteoarthritis.

 ·         Finger numbness. This condition can cause tingling, slight burning in the hands, and a prickling feeling.  It can also affect your ability to pick things up. Moreover, you may feel like you’ve lost strength in your hands. Treatment of numbness in the fingers includes:

                        ü Using wrist braces

ü Having periodic injections of steroids to reduce the swelling of the fingers and other joints

ü Stop or avoid doing activities that worsen the symptoms

ü Surgery. Opening the flexor retinaculum (transverse carpal ligament) and releasing the median nerve from entrapment can often relieve the symptoms.

  ·  Swollen, red, or warm joints. Swelling is a common presenting problem in patients with arthritis. The affected joint is extremely painful, red is relatively uncommon, swollen, and feels warm when you touch it. You’d never want to move and put weight on that joint. Swelling usually lasts for three days or longer or more than three times a month should prompt a visit to the doctor.

    This scenario can occur with other pathologies and diagnosis may be particularly challenging in patients with pre-existing inflammatory arthritis. Consider septic arthritis in any patient with inflammatory arthritis who presents with a joint flare, particularly if one joint has flared more often than others.

 ·  Stiffness. It is a loss of mobility and motion of the fingers, especially in the morning. A trigger finger usually presents pain, locking or catching of the finger when moving it, and occasionally a permanently bent finger. Often, patients complain of the inability to do activities they enjoy because of a loss of gripping ability or readiness and grace in physical activity.                                           

    The typical reason for this loss in mobility include. Stenosing tenosynovitis or locked trigger finger, DuPuy Ren’s contracture, arthritis, and injury, and fortunately, there are treatments available for these conditions.

·   Sausage Fingers. Have you seen a person with unusually large fat fingers? In more severe cases the whole fingers or toes become swollen. He/she may suffer from Dactylitis. The medical term for this is ‘dactylitis, also referred to as ‘sausage fingers’ or ‘sausage toes. Dactylitis is a puffy nature of inflammation that causes the fingers to feel warm, hand to become bloated, swollen, and look like sausages. It can be due to an infection or a change in the immune system. It can make your fingers so rigid, making it difficult to move that you can no longer make a fist.

Managing Arthritic Pain and Inflammation

Arthritis may come and go, but it's still important to seek treatment. However, you can manage the pain brought about by arthritis by doing the following tips.

1.Lose Weight – Obesity can affect your joints big time. The heavier you are, the more your weight will stifle your joints. If you are on the heavy side, better start today by doing diet and exercise to gradually reduce your weight.

 

2.  Get some exercise – An idle bolt will rust faster. You’ve got to move to keep your joints from “rusting” so to speak. Exercise can also improve your heart health and will also augment your energy levels. You can try exercises such as Tai Chi or yoga to strengthen your joints and muscles.

 3. Hot and cold therapy for joint pain – Experiment with hot and cold compresses and hot and cold baths to relieve your joint pain.

4. Meditation and relaxation exercises – Calm your mind to help your body recover faster. Meditation can also help you to acquire a mindset most conducive to health. You will respond better to treatment if your mind is calm and relaxed.

5.  Massage for arthritis – A good massage can also help to reduce the pain brought about by arthritis.

6.  Acupuncture and acupressure – You can also try alternative treatment modalities such as acupuncture or acupressure to minimize joint pain.

     

    When arthritis symptoms persist, it is best to seek your doctor’s advice. Although there isn't a cure, medications and lifestyle changes can help prevent flares, reduce symptoms, and you can make the quality of your life better.