A Literature Review Of Complimentary Therapies With Arthritis

“Pain is much more than a physical sensation caused by a specific stimulus. An individual's perception of pain has important affective (emotional), cognitive, behavioral, and sensory components that are shaped by past experience, culture, and situational factors. The nature of the stimulus for pain can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both.” (Potter, Perry, Stockert, Hall, & Peterson, 2014 p. 141) As stated by Potter et al, the different natures of pain are dealt with differently depending on many factors. Knowing this, treating pain can be very difficult as there is no single or clear cut way of measuring it; “Even though the assessment and treatment of pain is a universally important health care issue,

The type of treatment chosen depends on the type of arthritis and the effects it has on the patient as well as the severity of the disease. Other factors to consider are the age of the patient and the joints affected. Bearing in mind that different people exhibit different reactions to different medications, treatment in this case is individualized but includes a combination of joint protection methods and medication. For rheumatoid arthritis, the Initial treatment starts with non steroidal ant inflammatory drugs and other simple analgesic but as the inflammation progresses, slow acting anti rheumatoid drugs which are aimed at modifying the disease are introduced. They are added progressively as the inflammation progresses in order to suppress the process that leads to chronic inflammation (Amin 1995).

Joint Pain: A Prospective Cohort Study in the General Population. The Journal of Pain Official

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. The prevalent population suffering from OA is the elderly, but it may afflict a person of any age, especially upon injury of the joint. This ailment will usually affect loan bearing joints such as the knee or hips, but it can affect any joint. OA is the breakdown of the protective cartilage within the joint, and the patient will suffer from pain, swelling and/or stiffness of the joint, and a decreased range of motion at the joint. These symptoms can have a debilitating effect on a patient by making menial tasks suck as walking, climbing stairs, or even rising out of bed or a chair difficult. Currently, there are various treatment options available for OA but no cure exists; therefore,

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that stems from the breakdown of cartilage of the bones as a result of traumatic injuries, joint overuse, obesity, or genetic and metabolic diseases. Osteoarthritis mainly affects older woman in the knees, hips, hands and spine. Sufferers experience inflammation, swelling, and pain in affected joints, eventually causing joint stiffness and limitation of movement, misalignment, and knoblike bone growths in the hands (Stark). While there is no known cure for OA, there are many treatment options to help preserve physical function

Thank you Prianca for taking the time to share about the cytokines and their interaction in the inflammatory process of the Rheumatoid Arthritis. Indeed, the epidemiology incidence of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasing every minute. Like you well explain above in your post, we have more than 1.3 million of people in the US affected with RA (Ruderman & Tambar, 2013) and 1 percent of the worldwide population is affected with RA (Lubberts & Berg, 2003). It seems like this epidemic is going to continue. 75 percent of that 1.3 million are women, and statistically, 1 of 3 women may get rheumatoid arthritis in their life. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect anybody at any age, but in most of the cases, the disease begins in the 40’s and 60’s (Ruderman & Tambar, 2013).

Everyone experiences pain differently, its etiology, source, and type of pain is unique to each patient. Pain is defined as “a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that originates from sensory stimuli, which has obvious motivation-affective properties, demands attention, disrupts thought and behavior and results in activity aimed to stop the pain” (Blanchard, 2010). Managing pain in the acute care setting has become one of the greatest challenges nurses and healthcare providers face. Unsatisfactorily managed pain can contribute to several adverse outcomes for hospitalized patients including reduced mobility, stimulation of unhealthy stress response, infection, creates barriers, and additional complications. “As pain treatment becomes more aggressive, so too does our attention to reassessment of pain after intervention to ensure both safe and effective pain management” (Gordon, 2014).

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, and more than half of all Americans who are older than 65 have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. However, recent US data has revealed knee osteoarthritis does not discriminate age, and there is growing evidence that osteoarthritis affects individuals at a young age. The annual cost of osteoarthritis due to treatment and loss of productivity in the US is estimated to be more than 65 billion dollars.1 With no cure currently available for osteoarthritis, current treatments focus on management of symptoms. The primary goals of therapy include improved joint function, pain relief, and increased joint stability. Although the exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown, many risk factors have been identified including increased age, female gender, obesity, and trauma.2 Within these risk factors, the etiology of osteoarthritis has been divided into anatomy, body mass, and gender.

A study conducted by Deyle et al.7 took 83 patients approximately 60 years old with osteoarthritis in the knee and split them into a treatment group and control group. The treatment group received manual physical therapy, which consisted of stretching, ROM, and strengthening exercises, while the placebo group was given a non-therapeutic amount of ultrasound. Participants were required to attend physical therapy appointments twice a week for four weeks. Data was collected at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks using a six-minute walk test, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) as outcome measures. Participants in the treatment group saw both clinical and significant differences in their WOMAC scores and the six-minute walk test at the eight-week time period. This study demonstrates that participating in physical therapy can help manage OA symptoms in the knee.7 Another study conducted by Palmer et al.11 looked at the intervention of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to see if it relieved symptoms of knee OA. Even though the main purpose of this study was looking at the TENS therapy, the control group was given a six- week physical therapy exercise program. The study also used the WOMAC scale and the control group actually showed improvements .11 The knee group had 41.6% of its participants reaching

Arthritis is very common and yet it is not well understood. Arthritis my sound like a single disease but it is not. The term arthritis is a general term used to reference more than 100 different types of diagnoses associated with joint pains (“What is Osteoarthritis?”). From the 100 plus different types of arthritis the most common is osteoarthritis, which affects approximately 27 million Americans. It is also referred to as degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis (“What is Osteoarthritis?”). For a long time it was believed that the cause of osteoarthritis was due to the “wear and tear” of joints that naturally occurs over time, however, scientists have now changed to view to see more as a disease (“What is Osteoarthritis?”). Osteoarthritis may affect any joint, but generally only tends to occur in the hips, knees, back, and hands (“What is Osteoarthritis?”). It’s estimated that forty to eighty percent of individuals who experience radiographic changes will symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. This particular form of arthritis is prevalent among ten to thirty percent of older people around the world. This is can be found to be especially true for people who live in rural areas and must perform occupational tasks that may be heavier than that of a people in urban areas (Olagbegi, Adegoke, & Odole, 2016). A majority of people over 65

A critique of an article published by The New York Times suggests a Breakthrough in treatment for joint pain of patients suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis. The article suggests that a drug known as a Biologic taken with Methotrexate may effectively treat pain and swelling symptoms caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis. Before critiquing the article, it is necessary to discuss the anatomy and physiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis so you may have a better understanding of the disease and the possible treatments. Rheumatoid Arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disease; it is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which the immune system attacks the tissues of the synovial joints of the individual who is suffering from the disease (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). The attacks cause inflammation to the synovial joints; the onset of inflammation brings both pain and swelling to the joint (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). Inflammatory cells appear in the joint cavity of the synovial joint and release inflammatory chemicals that destroy the body tissue at the joint (Marieb and Hoehn 2013). The disease is bilateral, meaning that if it affects a joint on one side of the body, for example the left wrist; chances are that it will affect the same joint on the opposite side of the body (Marieb and Hoehn 2013).

Definition: Arthritis refers to painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints. It typically worsens with age and is a result of infection, trauma, degenerative changes, autoimmune disease or other causes. There are multiple branches of arthritis such as rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis; the most common one is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis specifically breaks down cartilage, which is a part of the bone that aids in moving the joints smoothly. It generally affects the hips, knees, hands, feet and spine. Osteoarthritis can occur at a young age, but it usually develops later in life. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which basically means that the immune system attacks the joints. This causes people with rheumatoid arthritis to get lumps called rheumatoid nodules on their skin as well as inflammation of the infected area. Psoriatic arthritis

A disease can be defined as someone living with a disordered or incorrect functioning part of the body. Arthritis is one of the most common diagnosis in America, and it relates to pain or disease within the joints. Infact, there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, and it affects people of all ages, gender, and race (“What is Arthritis”). The most common or occurring form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading causes in of disability in people who are older (Srikulmontree, 2015). Osteoarthritis affects the entire joint, and is when cartilage starts to diminish (“What is Arthritis”). When the cartilage is worn away, that leaves the bones to rub against each other, since there cushioning is gone, and causes primarily pain, swelling and stiffness. Specifically, there are two main types of osteoarthritis: idiopathic and secondary. Idiopathic osteoarthritis, has no identifiable cause and can affect as minimal as one joint or as many as three or more. Secondary osteoarthritis, is caused by an underlying condition (Kalunian, 2015). Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease and there many aspects that go into identifying, and treating it.

warm water can help scale down stress on joints and muscle groups. Accordingly, it can aid furnish alleviation from joint pain. A warm tub is an nice technique to scale back anguish in weight bearing joints comparable to hips and knees.

In the United States, arthritis has become the second most common disorder, in the past years. Moreover, the condition affects more than 34 million Caucasians, 4.6 million African-Americans and nearly 3.1 million Hispanics with women being the most affected (Helmick, 2008). 28.3% of people suffering from arthritis are women whereas 18.2% are men (Helmick, 2008). By the year 2030, it is predicted that the number of patients with arthritis will double if prevalence rates remain the same. Apart from being cost-intensive, Osteoarthritis (OA) affects nearly twenty seven million Americans, which effectively limits their work (Reid, Shengelia & Parker, 2012). The statistics show that Caucasians are the most affected and the Hispanics to be the less affected from Caucasians, Hispanics, and African Americans. It also shows how women also have greater possibilities of getting arthritis than man ever did.