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Arthritis - crippling joint pain and stiffness
Arthritis - crippling joint pain and stiffness
Arthritis is characterized by pain, inflammation,
and joint stiffness leading to a reduced range of mobility and sometimes
deformity. Usually due
to degradation of connective tissue (mainly cartilage) in joints. particularly
affecting:
Joints with frequent movement.
Hands, fingers, thumbs, arms, neck
Progresses slowly over the years.
Can be exacerbated with injury or by repetitive overworking of joints;
better to deal with arthtitis early on, since it is difficult to repair cartilage once
the damage is done
Types of arthritis
There are more than 100 different specific types of
arthritis, the most common being:
Osteoarthritis
(OA) a.k.a. degenerative arthritis.
Involves the wearing down of protective / cushioning cartilage on the ends of a
bone, changes in joint bones, deterioration of tendons and ligaments, and can
also involve some inflammation of the joint lining (synovium) -
typically as a consequence of aging, trauma or
obesity. This is the most common type of arthritis, commonly affecting
the joints of hands, knees, hips, spine and big toes. OA is the main cause of
disability in older people.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
An autoimmune arthritis causing inflammation of not
only the joints, but also several other body systems,
including internal organs, blood vessels, skin, eyes and lungs.
Particularly affects the joint lining (synovium), inducing painful inflammation
that can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity.
Juvenile RA
Fibromyalgia
Bursitis
Lupus
Gout
Causes of arthritis
Arthitis can be caused by trauma, wear and tear or
uncontrolled inflammation
In the joint - Eg. OA and RA
Systemically affecting
the internal organs. E.g. In RA
In the surrounding ligaments, tendons or muscles -
E.g. fibromyalgia
Ligament: surrounds and supports
each joint, connects bone to bone, and prevents excessive movement.
Tendon: attaches muscle to bone on
each side of joint
Some
Differences between RA and OA
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Osteoarthritis (OA)
Tends to affect middle joints of fingers and
where fingers attach to hand
In the hand, OA most commonly affects the 1st
and 2nd joints of the thumb (study published
Apr.2011 in "Rheumatology), also joints at the ends of the
fingers
Usually same joints are affected symmetrically
on both sides of the body
Symmetry of affected joints on both sides of the
body does NOT usually occur in OA
Joints often hurt for longer than 45 minutes
after getting out of bed
Joints may be stiff in the morning, but
typically feel better in about 20 minutes
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