What You Need to Know About Arthritis Including its Symptoms and Treatment options available

Generally, arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the significant causes of disability and joint pain for the majority of people in the United States. Therefore, if you suspect to be suffering from arthritis, it is essential to seek medical help to relieve your symptoms. That’s why arthritis in West Chester is treated and managed by a team of specialists who use a conservative approach to treat mild cases of arthritis. They also perform advanced knee joint replacement surgeries.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis refers to a musculoskeletal disorder that usually affects your joints. In most cases, over the hundred or more types of arthritis widely known affect only a small group of people. However, some of them end up causing disability and long-lasting pain to millions of people. Generally, osteoarthritis is the most common form of disease that affects most people. It is a condition that usually develops over the years where your joints wear and tear, resulting in the erosion of your joint’s protective cartilage. Therefore, the more your protective cartilage wears out, the more your joints become painful. Osteoarthritis is hence the leading cause of reduced function among the elderly.

The other arthritic condition is rheumatoid arthritis which, unlike osteoarthritis, which usually affects the elderly, rheumatoid arthritis typically affects young adults and adolescents. It is autoimmune, where the systems that usually exist in your body to protect you from infection mistakenly destroy healthy cells in the linking of your joints. Other widespread forms of arthritis are septic arthritis, gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis can also develop as a complication of diseases like lupus.

What symptoms does arthritis cause?

The common symptom of arthritis is recurring or persistent pain. Usually, the pain begins as dull aching, and as it worsens, its intensity may increase. Additional arthritis symptoms may include weak joints, deformities, swelling, stiffness in the joints, and tenderness. You might also note that your arthritis symptoms can flare up during cold or wet seasons or when you engage in any physical activity that is different from your daily routine.

 Stress can as well worsen your arthritis. Similarly, as you advance in age and during the later stages of arthritis, the pain, weakness, and stiffness in your joints may increase and make it quite challenging to perform your daily chores. Lifting and gripping, getting up and down, and kneeling also become a challenge.

What treatment can help with arthritis?

Typically, there is no known cure for arthritis yet, but the health care specialists in the facility farewell experienced in helping their patients manage their condition. Therefore, the initial treatment of arthritis may include:

Physical therapy

It is essential to keep moving when you get arthritis because your joints weaken and stiffness faster. However, you are also encouraged to be careful when exercising to avoid aggregating your symptoms.

Medication or Joint injections

Oral NSAIDs can help reduce joint pain and inflammation. But if you are suffering from an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs can be beneficial.

When badly affected joints are injected with steroid medications, they deliver a more potent anti-inflammatory effect. If your arthritis is severe, the care provider may perform full or partial joint replacement to relieve your symptoms.

 Call or consult Brian Rhottinghaus, MD, today if you are seeking relief for your symptoms.