Fitness School

Arthritis is a condition that affects the musculoskeletal system including the joints, causing stiffness, inflammation, pain and eventually damage to the joint cartilage. Cartilage between the bones is what makes sure that there is no pain thanks to the bones coming into contact with each other in our joints. Cartilage as a living tissue behaves very much like other organs and glands and these cells are termed as Chondrocytes. Normally, all of the chondrocytes will die out and be replaced by the new cartilage cells. Gout and arthritis are very closely related; however Gout can be much more painful and difficult to live with.

However, over time inflammation can kill more cartilage cells than the body can replace. The body fails to generate new cells when there is lack of proper nutrients or if there has been an injury. Damage from this condition can also cause joint weakness, instability and deformities and interrupt daily activities. The traditional treatment to arthritis demands change of one’s lifestyle besides physical therapy and medication. Health care providers use joint replacement surgery as their last resort, once they have tried all of the less intrusive interventions to try and relieve the discomfort.

Arthritis is divided into two main categories, i.e. localized and generalized depending on areas affected; it is further subdivided into sub-categories. Localized arthritis affects the cartilage surrounding the joints and bones and includes conditions like bursitis and tendonitis. Another sub-category of the localized conditions only affects one or only a few joints, such as a knee or hip. Generalized conditions involve a sub category where there is no swelling or inflammation but the muscle and soft tissue are affected. A common type in arthritis is Fibromyalgia and this is categorized in the main category which does not cause joint damage.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of a condition under this category, as well as gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psortiatis arthritis are examples of the next conditions in this subcategory. Vasculities (affects all the organs), polymyositis (affects muscles) and erythematosus (affects kidney, skin and other organs) are the other conditions that belong to the generalized category.

There are about a 100 medical conditions that have affected about 46 million adults and 300,000 children in the US; a person can have more than one type of arthritis. This condition can start as early as infancy, while it is most common among adults over 60, primarily in the form of osteoarthritis. The number of people suffering out of this condition is increasing proportionally with the increasing average age of the American population; with old age setting in people suffering with arthritis is increasing day by day.

124 billion dollars a year are spent annually on medical care and other expenses connected to arthritis and related infirmities, making it a foremost cause for disability. Individuals can help prevent osteoarthritis by following a few simple steps: Maintaining appropriate weight and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as a good source of vitamins c and d. By taking the time to make sure that you are consuming enough calcium, participate in regular exercise and avoiding injuries that are brought about due to sports activities, you can also help with prevention of this condition.

Arthritis usually means pain in the joints but it is a disease of the muscles and the bones so there could also be swelling and pain all over. Cartilage is considered to be a living tissue that covers both ends of the bones, which protect them as they begin to rub together. The cells they are made of are called chondrocytes. The life cycle of the chondrocytes is like all cells and they die and new ones come in.

When there is long time inflammation, cartilage cells are destroyed and die faster than the body’s ability to replace them. This is more so if the body is undernourished and lacks the required nutrients to repair or the joint has suffered an injury. Arthritis makes the joints to become weak and instable. A typical treatment of arthritis includes lifestyle changes and physical therapy. Health care providers use joint replacement surgery as their last resort, once they have tried all of the less intrusive interventions to try and relieve the discomfort.

Arthritis is divided into to major groups that may affect the ‘localized’ or ‘generalized’ parts of the body or even depending on the joints that get damaged; it is further divided into sub-groups. Localized conditions are where the soft tissue around the bone or joint is affected; it refers to conditions like tendonitis and bursitis. One of the localized conditions could affect just the hip or the knee joints. Generalized Conditions: The first sub-category for generalized conditions is for those that affect the muscle and soft tissue where there is no evidence of swelling or inflammation. The condition is not associated with joint damage; Fibromyalgia is a common type of arthritis that is placed under this category.

The second sub category is one where there is inflammation and the whole body is affected. Other generalized conditions are polymyositis (muscles); systemic lupus erythematosus (skin, kidneys, or other organs); and vasculitis (any organ). Some of the other generalized conditions are known to include: muscles or polymyositis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

However a person may suffer from multiple kinds of arthritis, in the United States of America around forty six million adults and abut three hundred thousand children suffer from hundred medical conditions. Arthritis may affect people in infancy and its effects are more prominent in adulthood and are most common in the form of osteoarthritis. The number of sufferers is on the increase at the same pace as the population of America.

Medical care and indirect expenses costs over 124 billion dollars in the US where arthritis and related problems are the main cause of disability. Osteoarthritis can easily be prevented by following few easy steps: consume more fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin c and vitamin d and also maintain appropriate weight. By taking the time to make sure that you are consuming enough calcium, participate in regular exercise and avoiding injuries that are brought about due to sports activities, you can also help with prevention of this condition.