| Have you ever suffered from arthritis? Many of us | | | | This type of arthritis mainly strikes women, and is one |
| often have misconceptions about certain medical | | | | of the most powerful types of arthritis. |
| conditions. For instance, because elderly people often | | | | Gout: This condition primarily affects males. It usually |
| suffer from arthritis, we may conclude that it cannot | | | | results from a blemish in the chemistry of the body. In |
| affect younger people. That is wrong. Also, arthritis | | | | the majority of cases, this condition affects small joints |
| itself is technically not a disease. So what exactly is it? | | | | and the big toe in particular. But there is good news for |
| Arthritis is a medical condition that causes people's | | | | you! Gout can nearly always be totally managed with |
| joints to become swollen and painful. | | | | changes in diet, and certain medication. |
| Just the facts | | | | Fortunately, you can use several types of treatment s |
| Here are some interesting facts about arthritis: | | | | for arthritis: |
| It includes more than 100 unique diseases that | | | | Medication: Numerous types of drugs can be used to |
| impact regions in or surrounding joints | | | | treat arthritis, and they have different purposes. These |
| It affected about 46 Americans (1 in 5 adults) in | | | | can include reducing pain, lowering soreness, and |
| 2006. | | | | attacking the disease itself. |
| It is the top cause of disability among Americans | | | | Surgery: The majority of people who experience |
| (at least 16-years-old) | | | | arthritis could never require surgery. On the other hand, |
| It yearly costs the U.S. economy $128 billion. | | | | surgery can be very beneficial for those with |
| It yearly causes over half a million hospitalizations | | | | extremely damaged joints, and when other types of |
| It affects almost 300,000 children | | | | treatments are not effective. Joint replacement is the |
| Joints, bones, and antagonistic muscles | | | | most popular form of arthritis surgery. |
| To better understand arthritis, we need to comprehend | | | | Physiotherapy: This can improve people's strength, |
| how our joints function. The bones of our skeletons | | | | flexibility, and mobility. When used with medication, pain |
| work as a group of levers that move around joints, | | | | can be significantly reduced. Physiotherapists can |
| which are points where pivoting takes place. This | | | | create a treatment plan especially for you, which could |
| happens as muscles switch between contracting and | | | | include exercise, hydrotherapy, and pain relief methods. |
| relaxing. Meanwhile, the muscles surround the joints in | | | | Massages with hot stones are another type of |
| pairs. So each group of muscles directs bones in one | | | | effective treatment for arthritis sufferers. When we |
| particular direction, while a twin "antagonistic" muscle | | | | suffer from stress, our bodies produce too many |
| group moves the bones in the converse direction. | | | | hormones. Thus, the body attacks its own joints, |
| Among the numerous types of arthritis, here are some | | | | resulting in rheumatoid arthritis. Through massage, the |
| of the most common: | | | | body's muscles, ligaments and tendons are relaxed, |
| Osteoarthritis: This is the most common type of | | | | thus creating balance within the body. |
| arthritis. It causes the joints to worsen. Cartilage | | | | More specifically, a massage moves the muscle and |
| covering the tips of bones within the join wears down. | | | | regions around the joints, increasing the body's |
| The result is that as the bone starts to scrape against | | | | circulation of blood and lymph. Thus, the body gets rid |
| the bone, one's range of motion is reduced, and pain is | | | | of more toxins. The ultimate result is that the |
| created. | | | | movement of the joints is significantly improved. In |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis: This is a disease in which the | | | | addition to massages improving the condition of the |
| body's immune system attacks normal cells. The result | | | | actual joints, they also relieve the symptoms of arthritis. |
| of is that the lining of the joint becomes red or swollen. | | | | Massages warn arthritis to stay out of your joint! |