Understanding Arthritis
Arthritis is primarily caused by inflammation of joints characterized by pain, swelling and stiffness. It affects joints, tissues surrounding the joints and connective tissue.
What is Arthritis
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and can affect one or more multiple joints. The most common symptoms are joint pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion and swelling. Arthritis is characterized by the inflammation and/or degeneration of joints. This would result in pain when the joint is used. The common areas of the body which are affected by Arthritis are the Feet, Hands, Hips, Knees and Lower back.
Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is a broad term that describes many different joint conditions. The most common types of arthritis include:
- Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis occurs commonly in hips, knees and hands and is usually the most common form of arthritis which affects a majority of the people.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis affects hands and feet but can occur in any joint. It is also termed as an autoimmune and inflammatory disease.
- Gout: Gout disease causes the formation of hard uric acid crystals to form in the joints. This type of arthritis usually affects the joint in the big toe and slowly harms the tissues in the region of the inflammation.
- Psoriatic arthritis: Psoriasis is an auto immune disorder that causes skin irritation. Psoriatic arthritis is a joint inflammation that develops in patients with psoriasis.
Impacts of lifestyle
To ensure the overall health of your body, healthy body weight is important. Joints take the most stress by bearing excess body weight. It is therefore essential to adopt a well-planned exercise, diet and mental health regimen to prevent and also vastly slow the progression of Arthritis.
Impact to health
Arthritis can cause many challenges in day-to-day life such as limited range of motion due to stiff joints, chronic pain, requiring assistance in activities of daily living, etc.
Lack of exercise will further aggravate the inflammation and can also lead to blood pressure, diabetes, poor mental health, etc. It is essential to stay physically active and do joint-friendly exercises.
How to typically manage arthritis
It is essential to make healthy lifestyle choices to keep Arthritis in control. A few of the basic things that you can do are to keep your weight under control, eat a balanced diet and get moving. Exercise might not be one of the things you want to do when you are in pain, but in order to preserve joint function, it is essential to keep moving at a pace comfortable for your body. Exercise also helps in improving function and mental health.