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Arthritis Advice
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is multifactorial in origin. It is somewhat host response to infection type of reaction. RA factor are increased in the body of a patient suffering from this disease. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is genetically determined. Gout is caused by the accumulation of Uric acid crystals inside joint space. The key feature in all types of arthritis is the presence of pain. Therefore, the following measures are helpful to lower the intensity of pain.
Reduction of weight- OA is manifested by damage in the articular cartilage. If the person suffering from OA is overweight, the load in the joint increases and there is more destruction of articular cartilage. So, the foremost criterion in all types of arthritis is effective reduction in the weight by various methods. It is seen that only 24% of the patients suffering from arthritis report that they are engaged in some kind of physical activity. Sedentary lifestyle again is a predisposing factor for many life threatening diseases like hypertension, diabetes, CAD etc. One must ensure a little bit of exercising to maintain optimum weight.
Thermal modalities- hot fomentation and cold compress are equally effective to reduce pain. Both the system gives soothing effect to the skin. The choice of the procedure is dependent according to the patient. Patient education- Reassurance, proper assistance towards effective pain relief, encouragement to adopt the measurement advised by the doctor is useful in the comprehensive pain relief.
Medication- NSAIDs are still the first line of analgesics. They include Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Nimesulide, Diclofenac, Ketorolac etc. Selective COX-2 inhibitors are Celecoxib, Rofecoxib and Valdecoxib. It is seen that intra-articular injection of Triamcenolone (steroid) gives a prolonged pain free life. |
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Arthritis means inflammation of the joint, which means pain, swelling, redness and rise of the local temperature. Arthritis is of several types. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type. At present, hip or knee arthritis has affected more than 100,000 persons in the United States so much that they can not go to the toilet from their bed. The basic cause in OA is destruction of the articular cartilage.