Arthritis has a variety of types with the three most common forms of the disease being osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. This disease is an inflammation of the joints, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. It is one of the oldest known afflictions of the human body and can attack any part of the body. The effects of this disease can be as mild as stiff joints to crippling and complete disability. It has been estimated that about 15% of the U.S. population suffers from arthritis and about 200,000 children have some form of the disease.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease found in the larger, weight bearing joints. It often is associated with older people and can result in calcium spurs and soft cysts. As this type of the disease progresses, the joint cartilage deteriorates resulting in pain and inflammation of the joint. One study reported that x-ray evidence showed that 33% of the adults of the U.S. has some degree of osteoarthritis in the foot, knee, hip, or hand. By age 65, this percent increases to 75% of the people have arthritis in at least one of the joint areas.
Symptoms include morning stiffness, increased pain when using the afflicted joint, loss of joint function, local tenderness, swelling of the joint. Bone cracking can sometimes be heard on movement.
Rheumatoid arthritis is less common than osteoarthritis, but is a serious and most painful joint disease often resulting in crippling disabilities. This disease attacks the synovial tissue, the membrane that lines joints and provides the lubricant that allows joints to move easily. With this disease, small joints of the hands and feet become tender. Advances stages of rheumatoid arthritis can result in finger or to becoming deformed. It can spread to other parts of the body. RA, as it is known, usually starts after the age of 20 and before 50, but has been known to start earlier. RA affects over 2 million Americans.Symptoms include fatigue, low grade fever, general joint pain, joint stiffness, and weakness. Later, painful, swollen joints become common.
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in the body. This acid is found in meats, other food sources, and the body itself. If an excess of uric acid persists, it crystallizes in joint cartilage and in the synovial tissue and fluid. This causes sharp, needle-like pain in the afflicted joint. Sometimes, fever, chills, and loss of movement occurs. Some additional health problems brought on by gout include eczema, hives, headaches, constipation, indigestion, and depression. Gout sufferers have a higher risk of heart and kidney disorders.Symptoms are sometimes marked by a sharp pain in first joint of the big toe. Fever and chills can follow if the attack progresses. The initial bout of gout can occur during the night and often is preceded by an event such as surgery, excessive alcohol ingestion, some commercial prescription drugs. Additional attacks are common usually within a year of the initial one. Gout is considered to be a male disease since 95% of the people afflicted are men over the age of 30.
Psoriatic Arthritis, PA, is very much like rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is associated with psoriasis, a chronic nail and skin disorder. PA affects the joints and can be painful with severe disability. Approximately 50% of the people with PA will develop various degrees of progressive, painful joints. It is not as severe as RA, but can affect any joint. Sometimes only a single joint of the hand is affected. PA has no known cause, but environment, genetics, and a breakdown of the immune system is suspected. Some studies indicate that up to 40% of those suffering from PA have a history of it and/or psoriasis in the family.Symptoms, like in RA, include morning stiffness, joint swelling, redness, and pain. Sometimes the fingers and toes can swell to resemble sausage. Nails can separate from the fingers and toes. Fever, fatigue, and a general flu like feeling can occur.
Juvenile Arthritis is a type of disease that develops before the age of 16. Other types of arthritis than can affect children are Stills disease, lupus, vasculitis, dematomyositis, and scleroderma. JRA is divided in three sub-types; systemic JRA, polyarticular JRA, and pauciarticular JRA. Polyarticular affects girls more than boys while systemic affects boys more than girls. No known reason for JRA has been discovered, but like some of the other arthritic diseases, environmental, genetics, and an immune system breakdown are suspected.
Symptoms are varied, but include pain, redness, joint swelling, rash, fever, morning stiffness, weight loss, and nausea. Lumps may form under the skin with JRA.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain. This disease affects the muscle and the attachment to bones. Some studies do not include fibromyalgia in the arthritis family of diseases.Symptoms include sleep loss, muscle pain, and fatigue. Some tingling or
numbness in the hands and feet have been reported. Other symptoms include
gastrointestinal problems including irritable bowel syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
CTS, is caused by anything that irritates the synovial membranes around
the tendons in the carpal tunnel. Some common causes of this irritation
are repetitive and forceful use of the hands, repetitive bending of the
wrists, obesity, thyroid disorders, diabetes, and broken bones in the
wrist.
Symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling in the wrist. An exception
to this is the little finger which is not affected by the median nerve.
There could be a sense of weakness and some people tend to drop things
from their hands. Products from Featherstone which might
be of possible
benefit to arthritis patients include Sports Rub, Emsomine™ , and Emu Oil.
It is not intended for this page to offer medical
advice or to recommend not to seek help from medical professionals. It is
intended to give information to those people who suffer from arthritis in
one or more of its many forms and are seeking alternative or complementary treatment
ideas using herbs and other substances like emu oil.