Managing Arthritis

Patients are taught to avoid stressing joints, to use warm baths to relieve stiffness, and to use a

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).

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is a form of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of cartilage within joints. Cartilage serves to provide cushion at the ends of bones, and when the cushion is not sufficient, as in osteoarthritis, the bones rub together. As a result, osteoarthritis sufferers are constantly plagued by stiff, swollen, and inflamed joints (http://www.arthritis.org/answers/diseasecenter/oa.asp). It is a relatively common condition, with an estimated 20 million American sufferers, most of whom are elderly (http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1668.50297). Traditional treatments include Tylenol, aspirin, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Arthritis is a chronic medical condition characterized by the inflammation of the joints.It encompasses many conditions that affect the joints and the connective tissues. Effects of arthritis are mainly joint pain and fatigue leading to limited movement. A population-based survey has shown that arthritis has an impact on the daily lives of Canadian. Cold weather increases pain to joints making it harder for you to accomplish daily activities. It appears that the risk for developing arthritis increase with age but it can occur in young adults with severe symptoms. Healthy Planet Canada can help you manage your symptoms and take care of your joint health. Here are some supplements that have shown to be beneficial in the treatment of joint pain

Huston states,” Joints are extremely damaged and the only thing that will help the pain at this point is replacing the joints.” She applies cold therapy to reduce pain in the joints and does range of motion three times. RA treatment includes disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs, and biologic therapy (Walker, 2012). Physician uses DMARDs as a common treatment for patient who just got diagnosis of RA, and the drugs have side effect that nurses need to educate patient about (Firth, 2012). Biologic drugs are another RA treatment available for patient. Biologic drugs are very expensive and their main target are cells, molecules, B-cell, and tumor necrosis that start the disease process. Hot and cold packs are common treatment used to reduce inflammation and allow client to complete their task, and move around (Walker,

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

The great traditional healing for joint affliction, equivalent to osteo­arthritis often involves prescribed exercises to maintain the joints flexible, motivate nourishment of the cartilage, and support

Exercise and rest are vitality important for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Exercise strengthens weak muscles and keep joints functioning. Daily exercise help defray stiffness. It is important to keep joints mobile. Another thing is medication. The most frequently prescribed medications are aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), indomethacin (Indocin), diclofenac (Volatraen), naproxen (Naprosyn), and ibuprofen (Motrin). Severe flare-ups may require cortosteroids (Prednisome and Medrol). Early after a patient is diagnosed, the physician may prescribe (DMARDS), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)”. This is to curtail joint damage, in the early stage of the disease. The last resort is a surgical procedure to replace damaged joints.

Today in the United States there is an estimated 1.3 million people living and dealing with rheumatoid arthritis (Arthritis Foundation). One might ask, what exactly is rheumatoid arthritis? Well, rheumatoid arthritis, also commonly known as RA, is a form of inflammatory disease and an autoimmune disease. If the person is a minor, or below the age of six-teen, then the chronic disease can also go by the name of juvenile arthritis. The juvenile arthritis is, “Defined as chronic inflammation of the synovial joints, with unknown etiology, which starts before the age of sixteen and persists for at least six weeks” (Hink et al 1). This disease can affect anyone with a functioning immune system. Out of the 1.3 million people in the United States that have rheumatoid arthritis, 70% of that number is women (RA.com). Once again there are no certain reasons as to who receives this disease whether its children, elders, Caucasians, African Americans, etc. But once they do receive the illness, then it affects them immensely. “The disease is systemic, meaning it can occur throughout the whole body. It’s a chronic disease, so it can’t be cured” (Arthritis Foundation). The pain, stiffness and fatigue can affect the entire body. “RA occurs when your immune system, the system that protects your body from outside harm, mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue” (RA.com). Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease that is affecting

Joint care can be done by use of assistive devices to reduce strain on your joints, such as special door knobs, kitchen tools, and braces. Pacing oneself as to not overusing a single joint will help reduce joint pain. Keeping the affected joint warm with use of heating pads, electric blankets, or soaking in warm water are a few examples of accessible solutions for joint care. Hot tubs are also another solution to promote family involvement in joint care albeit expensive, heated pools are another family activity that can

Change in lifestyle by minimizing high impact activities can help protect the patient’s knee joint while slowly the progress of the arthritis.

The participants will be divided into two different groups for 8 weeks. Both groups will be women who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Group 1 consists of 20 women and served as control, which will perform counseling and acupuncture treatment as a placebo. Group 2 consists of 20 women that will perform Tai Chi treatment and counseling. All participants in this study have not received previous treatment or treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, all participants will be requested to prevent from vigorous activities such as heavy lifting, excessive physical activities and limit their salt intake for 8 weeks before the initial

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. There are many types of Arthritis affecting “54 million adults.” (Arthritis Basic 2017, January 20) The most prevalent of all arthritis is Osteoarthritis. It is also known as degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis. (Arthritis Basic 2017, January 20). Osteoarthritis causes pain and daily physical limitations. Common limitations include daily activities such as buttoning a shirt, sitting or standing for more than a couple of hours. Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million adults in the United States. The risk factors associated with arthritis are modifiable or non-modifiable factors. Some of these include age, gender, genetics, and obesity. Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis or (RA) can be difficult to diagnose for several reasons and there are many ways to diagnose it. Since there is no single test for the disease, there are just three ways to specify whether the patient has the disease or not. In addition, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis diseases can be similar that makes the diagnosing process inaccurate. Moreover, the symptoms vary from patient to another and it develops over time, so it can be severe in some people than the others can. As a result, doctors use several ways to diagnose this disease and to rule out the others. At the beginning, doctors always ask the patients to describe the symptoms and if it changed over time or not. In addition, they

Arthritis is a joint disorder, which affects one or several joints in the body. The condition has more than one hundred types of diseases with osteoarthritis being the most common. Osteoarthritis results from joint infection, or age. Patients that suffer from arthritis complain about pain in the joints. In most cases, the pain remains constant in the affected joint. It is worth noting, “The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damage to the joint from disease, daily wear and tear of joint, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue” (Reid, Shengelia & Parker, 2012, p. 40). However, joint pain could result from various diseases, and in such