Arthritis Symptoms
When someone says arthritis, the
first thing that comes to mind is painful joints. However, since there are over
a hundred different types of arthritis, the arthritis symptoms can be quite
variable and will include not just joint pains. In this article, you will learn
what are the certain signs and arthritis symptoms associated with this
debilitating disease that affects millions.
It’s not a Sports Injury
One of the concerns frequently
raised by those suffering from what could be arthritis symptoms is that the
signs are far too similar to the symptoms commonly associated with a sports
injury. How do you know the difference? The first step consists in determining
what caused the arthritis symptoms to erupt. Ask yourself the following
questions for instance:
- Did it happen all of a sudden?
- Have you recently engaged in strenuous activities?
- Do the arthritis symptoms, particularly the pain,
intensify later in the day?
- Do you experience stiffness and general discomfort
around the joints even while resting?
Answering all of the above
questions will help you determine what caused these arthritis symptoms to occur
in the first place. Some people take the first action by “doctoring”
themselves, taking over the counter pain killers, rubbing on arthritis creams,
applying ice packs, using heating pads, and the like. But self-treatment is
strongly discouraged upon since there’s a higher chance that a patient may wait
too long before consulting a doctor.
Where does it hurt?
Arthritis is a disease of the
joints, hence, arthritis symptoms will most likely affect the joints. The joint
is that area where two or more bones meet. Joints of the body commonly affected
by arthritis symptoms include the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, and hips. In
some types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, the symptoms could also
occur in the joints of the spinal column. Additionally, rare cases of arthritis
may affect the skin (psoriatic arthritis) as well as other organs of the body.
Inflammation
Next to pain, the most common
arthritis symptoms are inflammation. The inflammation is often accompanied by
pain, redness, heat, and swelling. Although inflammation can make things very
inconvenient for the person suffering from such arthritis symptoms, the process
itself is actually the body’s basic response to injury.
Usually, inflammation occurs when
the body’s immune system gets to work, bringing plasma proteins and phagocytes
(or white blood cells that engulf and consume foreign material and debris) to
the injured area. The reason is primarily to initiate tissue repair. However,
with arthritic inflammation, the immune system is at fault since instead of
defending it attacks the surrounding tissue, triggering the inflammatory
response.
Only a few types of arthritis
actually display this particular symptom, including:
·
Rheumatoid arthritis
·
Gout
·
Tendonitis
·
Bursitis
·
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Joint Deformity and Loss of
In some types of arthritis, the
friction caused by the movement of bones in the joints stimulates the cartilage
and surrounding connective tissue to produce new bone outgrowth. These
outgrowths are known as spurs and are one of the major arthritis symptoms of
osteoarthritis.
Another tell tale sign of
arthritis is bow legged, a condition wherein the legs curve outwards as a
result of an arthritic knee. Most arthritis causes the loss of full range of
motion, leaving patients mostly immobile and in severe cases even permanently
disabled. In order to avoid this from happening, consult your doctor and
determine what appropriate steps to take to halt disease progression.