Arthritis | Osteoarthritis
Arthritis
Overview
Don't
join the half of all people over 65 with arthritis.
Among
the inevitabilities of aging, arthritis has almost as prominent
a place as balding in the popular imagination. Far too many young
people assume that "arthuritis" and "rumatiz" just
happen to grandma and grandpa.
Although
it's true that the more than 100 types of arthritis are most
common in the elderly, this painful and debilitating condition
is far from restricted to retirees, and it's definitely not inevitable.
As many as 200,000 children have arthritis, and there's much
that you can do in your middle years to avoid becoming one of
the one in two Americans over 65 who have it.
What
is arthritis? The two most common types are osteoarthritis
and rheumatoid arthritis. The first is a general
deterioration from
wear
and tear of the cartilage in joints, whereas rheumatoid arthritis
is an immune system disease that causes inflammation in the
joint and destruction
of both cartilage and bone.
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Symptoms
Symptoms
of arthritis include any of the following that last for two weeks
or more: joint swelling, early morning stiffness, pain
or tenderness
in a joint, loss of joint movement, redness or warmth of a joint,
or unexplained weight loss, fever, or weakness accompanied by
joint pain.
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Treatments
Treatments
are tailored to the particular form of arthritis, so
it's important to have a diagnosis by a rheumatologist. Most
types of
arthritis,
however, have one treatment in common: a careful combination
of low-impact exercise and rest. Walking, in particular, is one
of the most widely
recommended remedies for arthritis. Numerous studies have
shown that people with arthritis who begin an exercise program regain
the ability
to participate in many activities, suffer less pain, and
have
improved moods.
As a matter of fact, exercise is also the main prescription for
avoiding arthritis. A program of regular, moderate endurance
exercise and
weight
training in your middle years offers several important protective
effects: It helps you avoid gaining weight, a major source
of stress on joints;
it develops muscles to support joints; and it maintains joint
flexibility.
For endurance exercise, seek out low-impact activities—such as
cross-country skiing, rowing, swimming, bicycling, or walking—and
mix your workouts to avoid overuse of any particular joints. Weight
training should emphasize muscle tone—through numerous repetitions
with lighter weights—rather than intense muscle building
with heavy weights.
Like routine maintenance on your car, exercise will keep
your body working in tip-top shape throughout your years.
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Osteoarthritis
Overview
Osteoarthritis—degeneration
of cartilage in joints leading to inflammation and swelling—knows
few boundaries. Evidence of its destructive effects have been found
in dinosaurs and in our predecessors, the Neanderthals. Even man's
best
friend shares our susceptibility to its ravages.
Despite
the fact that osteoarthritis is more common in women than men,
nearly half of all men 65 and older suffer from it. There is
no cure, but there are a number of ways to slow its progress
and minimize discomfort.
Unfortunately,
the most common approach may be simply to prescribe a medication
called a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Every day
between 10 and 15 percent of Americans over 65 years of age fill
a prescription for one.
NSAIDs
do help reduce pain, but they dramatically increase the risk of
ulcer. Each year, approximately 41,000 people require hospitalization
to correct NSAID-related bleeding ulcers, and 3,300 die from complications.
It has been described as the most common serious drug toxicity
problem in the United States.
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Treatment
Of
the 25 prescription and numerous nonprescription remedies, their
main difference is in strength. None is significantly more effective,
and only ibuprofen can claim an edge in safety. So your best bet
for reducing your risk of ulcer is to minimize your use of these
drugs by
controlling arthritis in other ways. First, you can help prevent
arthritis by being kind to your body. Those old sports injuries
can come back
to haunt you.
If it's a little late, for arthritis problems in the spine, hips, or
knees, weight loss is the first step in easing pain. The lighter you
are, the lower the stress that gravity places on those joints. The best
way to loose weight is through a combination of calorie control and
endurance exercise, which increases stamina, builds muscles to support
joints, and helps keep joints flexible. Water exercise works well for
many people with arthritis because the water supports body weight while
allowing joints their full range of motion.
The Arthritis Foundation (800-283-7800) also recommends specific
range-of-motion exercises, including curling fingers into a loose
fist and straightening
them to combat stiffness, doing ankle circles when seated to improve
flexibility, and lifting and rotating shoulders to relieve tension.
Relaxation techniques can also help relieve muscle tension. Left
untreated,
it can worsen arthritis pain, which, in turn, can increase tension—forming
a vicious circle.
Guys, if you're troubled by arthritis, don't depend soley on a silver
bullet. Use all the resources available to you. Lose
weight, exercise,
practice relaxation, and, when you really need it, take that pill.
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