| Arthritis is an extremely painful and potentially | | | | have also been serious concerns expressed about the |
| debilitating condition, which now affects over one in ten | | | | side effects of these drugs and the potential stomach |
| people in the developed world. It can lead to a reduced | | | | problems that they can cause. Steroids are synthetic |
| ability to carry out many of the essential tasks of daily | | | | hormones, which mirror natural substances found in the |
| life and often impair the sufferer's ability to do their job | | | | body, but in artificial form the body tolerates them |
| of work. There are many different types of arthritis, | | | | poorly. Steroids are extremely powerful medicines and |
| with varying symptoms, but most types involve some | | | | are usually used in the initial stages of treatment, |
| kind of inflammation of the joints, making movement | | | | before other, less overpowering, treatments are |
| difficult and often painful. It is very important to make a | | | | employed. |
| correct diagnosis, in order for the proper treatment to | | | | As arthritis is a condition which affects the joints, it is |
| be carried out. | | | | important to consider different forms of exercise and |
| The first step you need to take if you suspect you | | | | forms of rest between exercise and how they will |
| may have arthritis is to visit a qualified medical | | | | affect your specific condition. Arthritis sufferers are |
| practitioner. Usually this will involve referral to a hospital | | | | usually best advised to exercise daily, in order to |
| where X ray and blood tests will be performed. | | | | prevent joints from seizing up and becoming stiff. As a |
| Sometimes there will be a specialist on site who will be | | | | form of general exercise, swimming is especially |
| able to administer more advanced forms of tests and | | | | beneficial to the arthritis sufferer - as the weight of the |
| give advice on the spot. Once a diagnosis has been | | | | body is distributed throughout the water, rather than |
| made, there are various treatments that can be | | | | being concentrated on the limbs and joints, as it is with |
| applied. The most obvious and crude, of these | | | | so many other forms of exercise. This makes the |
| treatments is the simple pain killing drug, such as aspirin | | | | movement of the joints a lot easier and reduces the |
| or paracetamol. Aspirin is preferred in many cases as | | | | pressure on points, which can be very painful if |
| it has anti-inflammatory properties. Many of these | | | | overburdened. |
| basic painkillers are available without prescription, so it | | | | Exercises done in water are now routinely available at |
| vitally important to inform your physician if you intend to | | | | hospitals. Water is a great help for many arthritis |
| take these on top of any prescribed medicine. | | | | sufferers, as the warmth of the water helps stiff joints |
| Anti inflammatory drugs are vitally important as they | | | | to move. It is even possible to perform |
| not only reduce pain, but also lessen the irreversible | | | | muscle-strengthening exercises under water. This a |
| damage which is often done to joints when arthritis | | | | good idea as strong muscles help joints to move more |
| flares up. These are the most common form of | | | | smoothly, reducing the pain from arthritis naturally and |
| treatment prescribed for arthritis and come in two | | | | with only positive side effects. These kinds of |
| basic types. NSAIDs, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory | | | | water-based treatments are highly recommended and |
| drugs, are very common, but it takes a prolonged | | | | may reduce the arthritis patient's need for powerful |
| period of use for them to become effective. There | | | | synthetic drugs with severe side effects. |