Arthritis and joint pain and are the most common conditions suffered by the majority of people if not almost everyone at some point of time in their life – be it due to ageing or injury. Joint arthritis is a condition that predominately causes this among patients. Every month we get a lot of questions on the joint arthritis condition from patients all over Mumbai.
So in this blog today we have picked 5 frequently asked questions on joint arthritis and tried to answer them with the help of joint replacement and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Chirag Patel. Read on:
How Many Types of Arthritis are there?
There are as many as 100 types of arthritis that can affect a human being but there are three types of arthritis that are most commonly noticed: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Psoriatic arthritis.
What is Osteoarthritis?
The majority of arthritis cases involve osteoarthritis where the cushions (cartilage) between the joints over time deplete causing the painful rubbing of bones at the joints. This type of arthritis can affect any joint but most commonly knee, hip, spine and hands are most commonly impacted. This may result in pain, swelling, loss of mobility, weakening of the musculoskeletal system surrounding the specific joint leading to everyday problems.
What is Rheumatoid arthritis?
This is another common cause of joint arthritis but not as common as osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the inherent body itself. It starts with the swelling of the joint lining that graduates into a condition that destroys the cartilage and bone thus mimicking all the problems caused by osteoarthritis.
What is Psoriatic arthritis? What are its symptoms?
Like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic arthritis is also an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation. While Psoriasis is a skin condition, in few cases symptoms of arthritis begin to develop before the skin condition symptoms sets-in. Patients affected by this form of arthritis may also experience other symptoms like swollen fingers and toes, lower back pain, foot pain, eye inflammation, foot pain, strep throat and fatigue. This condition too affects multiple joints in the body with similar symptoms but is less rare than the other two types of arthritis conditions mentioned above.
How is joint arthritis treated?
The treatment for arthritis depends on the specific type of arthritis, cause, its severity, progression and medical history. In a broad way the treatment for arthritis cases commonly involve the following steps, according to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Chirag Patel:
Medications:
OTC medications that improve pain and reduce inflammation are commonly prescribed by arthritis specialists and orthopaedic surgeons, Medications are a function of the type of arthritis and severity. Cortisone injections are also used to reduce pain and improve the condition of
Physiotherapy & Braces:
Since arthritis can weaken the musculoskeletal system around the joint, orthopaedic surgeon may recommend physiotherapy to strengthen them. Braces may also play role in the recovery, rehabilitation of the joint.
Lifestyle modifications:
Being overweight does put a lot of stress on joint arthritis that involves the hip or knee. In most cases, lifestyle medications that reduce the stress on the joints are recommended by orthopaedic surgeons. This may involve weight loss, exercise regimen, healthy eating and keeping alcohol, smoking in check.
The above steps provide the general outline only, the treatment for arthritis is a customized based on the type of arthritis, severity medical history and also the age of the individual. Always consult the best orthopaedic surgeon to know more and seek treatment for arthritis condition. If you are in Mumbai and are looking for an orthopaedic surgeon in Mumbai, then Dr Chirag Patel is the best orthopaedic surgeon in Mumbai with an excellent track record in treating all types of arthritis conditions. You can contact him here